A suicide bomber kills at least 31 in Islamabad mosque attack.
A suicide bomber killed dozens of people and injured more than 160 during Friday prayers at a Shiite Muslim mosque in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, authorities said.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack via two posts on its Telegram channel, and included the name and picture of the alleged bomber. CNN was unable to immediately verify the image.
The death toll stood at 32 as of Saturday afternoon, according to police in Islamabad.
IS said the attacker shot guards who tried to stop him before detonating his explosive vest. In its statement the group warned that "there is still more to come."
This was the deadliest attack in the country since January 2023, when a blast at a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed more than 100 people.
"We had just begun the prayer when we heard the sound of gunfire, followed by a powerful explosion," a worshipper at the mosque, Syed Ameer Hussain Shah, 47, told CNN.
"I got injured as well. At that time, the mosque hall was full, with more than 400 worshippers inside."
Pakistan has witnessed a rising wave of militancy in recent years, but attacks have been less frequent in the heavily guarded capital. A bombing in Islamabad in November, which killed 12, was the deadliest suicide attack to rock the city in nearly two decades.
Images in the aftermath of the attack showed bodies covered in blood lying on the floor of the mosque surrounded by shards of glass and debris.
"It was a horrible scene of my life which I could never have imagined," 24-year-old Shoaib told CNN from PIMS Hospital Islamabad, where he was visiting his wounded cousin.
"I heard the sound of single fire when we were in the middle of Friday prayers and, after a few seconds, a huge deafening sound of the explosion," he said. "Everyone was running outside while some worshipers began to shift the wounded to hospital. My young cousin sustained a wound in the right leg."
The US embassy in Islamabad condemned the attack. "Acts of terror and violence against civilians and places of worship are unacceptable," it said on X. "The people of Pakistan deserve safety, dignity, and the ability to practice their faith without fear."
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said the targeting of innocent civilians was "a crime against humanity," and the entire nation stood "shoulder to shoulder with the families affected," the Associated Press reported.
Neighboring Afghanistan's ministry of foreign affairs also condemned the attack. "The Islamic Emirate considers attacks that violate the sanctity of mosques and sacred religious rites and target worshippers and civilians to be in contradiction to Islamic and humanitarian values," it said.
CNN's Sophie Tanno contributed reporting. This story has been updated with Islamic State claiming responsibility and new death toll.
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