2014 Wagah border suicide attack
| Wagah border suicide attack واہگہ بارڈر خودکش حملہ |
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Location of Lahore in Punjab
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| Location | Wagah, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Coordinates | 31°36′16.9″N 74°34′22.5″E / 31.604694°N 74.572917°E |
| Date | November 2, 2014 17.35 (UTC+5) |
| Target | Civilians |
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Attack type
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Suicide attack |
| Weapons | Bomb |
| Deaths | 60 |
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Non-fatal injuries
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100 |
| Perpetrators | Jamaat-ul-Ahrar |
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Suspected perpetrator
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Jundallah |
| Motive | Retaliation against Operation Zarb-e-Azb |
On 2 November 2014, a suicide bombing took place at Wagah border following the daily border ceremony in Pakistan. The attack was claimed by three rival militant groups.
On the midnight of 9 January 2015, the FIA team led by special agents reportedly hunted and killed the mastermind of the attack in a police encounter which took place in Lahore. The Pakistan government officials confirmed the veracity of the reports.
A daily ceremonial closing of the border between India and Pakistan takes place at the Wagah border with tourists sitting on the respective sides of the border observing.
According to an unnamed official, the American and Pakistan intelligence communities had prior knowledge of such attack and had been alerted about the mode of a possible attack at the Wagah border. They were informed about a missing young boy who might be used as a would-be suicide bomber. The commissioner police Captain (retired) Amin Waince said the CID police had conveyed the threat about possible suicide attack to the Rangers at Wagah Border on 1 November.
The bomb blast occurred outside a restaurant in a parking area near a Pakistani paramilitary soldiers’ checkpoint. Up to 25 kg (55 lb) of explosive material was used in the blast. Footage showed destroyed shops and nearby buildings at the site of the blast.
Preliminary reports regarding the nature of the explosion had suggested that a gas cylinder exploded. Later on, Director General Rangers Punjab Khan Tahir Khan confirmed that the explosion was a suicide blast saying that "the parade venue is about 600 metres (2,000 ft) ahead of the blast site. Because of the strict checking, the suicide bomber detonated the bomb away from the parade venue." The bomber was said to have detonated his explosives as close to the security checkpoint as possible seeing as he would be unable to cross into the stands where more people were seated.
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Wikipedia