A suicide attack was carried out on a mosque in the north-western city of Peshawar in Pakistan. While the congregation had gathered at the Shiite mosque in Kocha Risaldar district awaiting the Friday prayers, the bomb exploded killing at least 56 people and injuring 194.

Muhammad Asim, spokesperson for the Lady Reading Hospital where the injured were being treated after the attack, confirmed the number of injured and stated some of the injured were in critical condition.

In the first assessments made after the incident, it was announced that the suicide attack had been carried out by two assailants. Security camera footage released later in the day proved an attacker dressed in a black salwar kameez had entered the mosque near the city’s famous Qissa Khwani Bazaar, wielding a pistol.

The attacker, who opened fire on two police officers standing guard at the entrance of the mosque for security, also fired at a member of the congregation who attempted to stop him, entered the mosque full of people gathered for the Friday prayers and carried out the suicide attack.

Speaking to the press, the spokesperson of the police announced that one police officer had been martyred and the condition of the other police officer was critical. A senior police official said no preliminary intelligence report or threat alert had been received regarding the attack, adding that approximately 5 or 6 kilograms of explosives had been used in the attack.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, who shared a message on Twitter late Friday, said he received regular briefings about the operations carried out by the security forces and that the Anti-Terrorism Department (CTD) and law enforcement officers worked in coordination. Stating the authorities have ascertained from where the terrorists originated and that all efforts have been concentrated to find out the instigators, Imran Khan offered his deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the explosion, prayed for the immediate recovery of the injured and said he had ordered the state officials to meet the needs of the aggrieved families.

Speaking to the press after the incident, President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi and federal government officials, especially the Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, conveyed their condolences. They also stated that security measures in mosques have been maintained for a long time without interruption during the daily and the Friday prayers, and that efforts are underway to apprehend those responsible immediately.

While it was stated that the government would provide exclusive financial aid to the families of those who lost their lives and were injured, no one has yet claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.

Members of the National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan, opposition leaders and foreign mission chiefs in Islamabad also condemned the attack.