ISLAMABAD (AP) — Police officials say a suicide bomber has attacked a crowd that had gathered along a road in northwestern Pakistan to greet a prominent hardline Islamist politician, killing at least five people.
Police official Ijaz Khan says Wednesday’s attack occurred near a police checkpoint and at least one of those killed was a policeman. More than 20 other people were wounded in the attack in Swabi town, located some 44 miles (70 kilometers) outside the capital Islamabad.
The crowd was lined up on either side of the road to greet Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of Jamiat Ulema Islam, one of the country’s strongest hardline political parties. Rehman was traveling to Charsadda town to address a public gathering.
No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
