Police 'arrest' rider who brought suicide bomber to capital court

Pakistan opened a probe on Wednesday into the suicide bombing outside an Islamabad district court that left 12 dead the day before, underscoring the challenges facing the government as it struggles with militant attacks, border tensions and a fragile ceasefire with Afghanistan.

- Tariq Butt / Associated Press

Punjab police took into custody the motorcyclist who transported the suicide attacker to Islamabad’s District Judicial Complex in G-II area before Tuesday's explosion, sources told Geo News late on Wednesday.

Police said the attacker blew himself up as he approached a police vehicle, setting nearby cars ablaze and scattering debris across the area.

The rider — employed with an online service — dropped the attacker near the court, also known as G-II kachehri, for a fare of Rs200, police sources told Geo News.

They also said that efforts are continuing to track the bomber’s movements from Golra to the G-II sector via Safe City cameras.

A report prepared by the investigation institutions had stated that the suicide bomber, a resident of Bajaur, reached Islamabad on Friday and travelled to the court from Pirwadhai on a motorcycle.

The attack at the court, located on the edge of the city and next to a residential area, also raised alarms that despite multiple operations by the security forces to crush the militants, they are still capable of mounting high-profile bombings in the Pakistani capital.