DNA from Peshawar bomber's head, hair matches with body

TNT was used in the massive explosion in the old hall of mosque

PESHAWAR:

The man who attacked a mosque in Peshawar killing 84 people had used trinitrotoluene (TNT) in the blast blown off in the ageing building structure, the latest investigation findings revealed on Monday.

Furthermore, the DNA of the head, body and hair recovered by the police in the helmet used by the suicide bomber has also matched with the samples, leading to a comparatively clearer picture of what transpired on the fateful day.

The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed responsibility for the worst terror attack to strike the country after years.

On Saturday, the death toll was revised after the police claimed that a total of 84 people were martyred in the Police Lines mosque suicide attack instead of 102 as widely reported in the media.

Sharing details of the latest findings, Inspector General of Police Mauzzam Jah Ansari on Monday also said that a TNT explosive was used in the blast which reportedly went off in the old hall of the mosque built on bricks without the support of pillar or steel rods.

He added that due to the severity of the blast, the brick walls could not remain intact and ultimately the roof collapsed, causing huge causalities.

The police chief claimed that during the recent investigation, a banned outfit had been identified as the perpetrator of the police line blast.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2023.