RAWALPINDI: A top official of a sensitive security agency narrowly escaped a potential attack on his vehicle, when a suicide bomber failed to detonate his explosive-laden vest near the Captial Development Authority (CDA) headquarters Tuesday morning.
The bomber managed to escape into a nearby forest area after he was pursued by the security guards and police officials.
Police sources said that the suspect managed to get rid of the suicide vest in the forest area and escape. “The suicide vest was very much intact and could be used,” said an expert of the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS).
The vest recovered from the forest area of Shakarparian contained over six kilogrammes of explosives.
The city police released a sketch of the suspect made from information gathered from people who had witnessed him escaping.
He was a young man of middle height, fair complexion and curly hair, the police said.
However, they declined to give the name of the ‘high value target’, saying an inquiry was launched to ascertain further details about the attacker and the target.
An official of the police said the suicide bomber panicked on seeing the security agency officials guarding the route of the top official he intended to target.
“He probably decided to escape abandoning his plans to attack his target vehicle after he failed to get close enough to hit it from an effective range,” said a source in police on the condition of anonymity.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2011.
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