Five dead in Battagram shooting

A ‘mentally unstable’ man opened fire following reports of a rabid dog’s presence in the area.

PESHAWAR: Five men died on Saturday in a shooting incident in the Allai area of Battagram district.

Local sources told The Express Tribune that the presence of a rabid dog was reported in the area and a local was called in to kill the animal.

In the process, the shooter entered a nearby mosque where a group of Tablighi Jamaat members had just finished saying their prayers. A man, who was with the Jamaat members, snatched the shooter’s gun and opened fire. The man was said to be mentally unstable, sources said.

Five men, four of whom were from the Tablighi Jamaat, died in the incident. Local sources said that the fifth man was the imam of the mosque.

The four Tablighi men did not belong to the area, sources said.

The incident was confirmed by police. An official of the Allai Police Station said that the Jamaat men had come from Bannu and it was one among them who opened fire.

However, the official said it was not immediately clear if the man was mentally unwell.

The deceased were identified as Sabz Ali, Jehangir, Ahmadullah, Mir Ali and Fazal Rahman. “An FIR will be lodged after initial investigations,” the police official said.