Bomb on Peshawar-bound train defused at Attock railway station

A guard found the bomb in a briefcase in the early hours of the morning on the train from Karachi to Peshawar. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

LAHORE: The Bomb Disposal Squad on Wednesday defused a bomb planted on a Peshawar-bound train at Attock railway station.

A guard found the bomb in a briefcase in the early hours of the morning on the train from Karachi to Peshawar.

“The bomb fitted with detonator and batteries was packed with old clothes in a briefcase lying unattended in one of the coaches of the Awam Express,” police officer Mazhar Abbas told AFP.

“The guard checked from the wedding party members and remaining passengers in the coach but nobody claimed its ownership.”

Mohammed Sajjad, a police investigation official, told AFP the bomb carried 13 kilograms of explosives as well as ball bearings and some nuts and bolts.

The train was cleared for departure to Peshawar after the bag containing the bomb was offloaded and the train was thoroughly checked by railway officials.

Correction: An earlier version of the story incorrectly stated that the train was on its way to Peshawar from Lahore instead of Karachi. The correction has been made.