PESHAWAR - At least 13 persons were killed and 23 others injured Tuesday when unknown miscreants hurled grenades inside Shama Cinema showing pornography in Peshawar.
It was the second such attack within two weeks on a cinema in Peshawar. On February 2, unknown miscreants hurled two hand grenades inside Picture Cinema, killing six persons and injuring 31.
Shama Cinema is known for showing explicit erotic movies as well as regular films.
Scraps of human flesh, blood-soaked shoes, caps and condoms littered the floor of the hall after the blasts, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
Akbar Khan, 62, whose left arm and left thigh were injured, told AFP from his hospital bed that he was watching a pornographic movie when a deafening blast rocked the auditorium. “It seemed like a hot iron rod pierced through my left arm and leg as I was hit by ball bearings,” he said. “I ran towards the gate, from where I was taken to hospital.”
The Shama Cinema has been in business for more than 30 years. It has been attacked twice before by militants, but Tuesday was the first bombing.
Police and eyewitness said the attack was carried out at 3:40am when around 100 cinema viewers were watching a movie. Despite stringent security measures and a number of security guards, the miscreants tactfully entered the cinema and attacked the viewers with three hand grenades.
Local rescuers and ambulances of Rescue 1122 rushed to the site and shifted the injured to Lady Reading Hospital where some of them were stated to be in critical condition. According to the deputy medical superintendent, total 25 injured were brought to the hospital. Later, two of the wounded expired in the hospital.
A heavy contingent of police and bomb disposal squad personnel also reached the site, cordoned off the area and collected evidences from there. The police said three Chinese-made hand grenades were used in the attack.
Capital City Police Chief Ijaz Khan confirmed that it was a hand-grenade attack which claimed lives of 13 people. The police arrested one of the security guards for
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan categorically denied their involvement in the blast. Till filing of this report, no one claimed responsibility for the attack.