THE suicide bombing outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad on Monday that killed eight persons and wounded five others must be condemned. The target, as the police maintain, was obviously the embassy itself. PM's Interior Advisor Rehman Malik has ordered an investigation, but has pointed out that the attack could be a reaction to the cartoons published by a Danish newspaper, which caricatured the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Whatever the motives, the Islamabad police chief described the attack as a security lapse, while talking to a private TV channel. The Danish Embassy in Islamabad has been the centre of public resentment and ire on account of the cartoon controversy and there have been concerns about its security. Protestors throughout the country demanded that the government close it, and some of the more radical groups vowed to blow it up. Though the government had taken note of these developments and consequently security arrangements were firmed up, the attack points to the fact that there were still some loopholes left. It is worth mentioning that terrorists have frequently used this mechanism - cars filled with explosives and driven by suicide bombers, usually being smashed into the target - in such attacks. Earlier, similar bombings had occurred in Lahore in which the FIA building and Navy War College were the targets. On March 15, a bomb ripped through an Italian restaurant in Islamabad killing one and injuring over a dozen. The authorities must ensure that the police are well trained and equipped to forestall such incidents. It is also quite likely that the attack on the embassy might as well be by some extremist, as also hinted by Mr Malik. It could be in retaliation for the reported killing of an Al-Qaeda leader in a US missile attack in Damadola in Pakistan a few days back. Yet before making a final judgment one must wait for the investigation to conclude, which is in an initial stage. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan recently signed a peace deal with the government and promised to end its offensive against the state. Moreover, the government stance to settle differences with militants through talks had also helped soften hard feelings. Again a number of innocent lives have been lost in the embassy bombing. The police chief rightly confessed that it was a security lapse. Certainly, there is a lot more to be done to make our cities safe from the threat of such bomb attacks.