Police release sketches of Islamabad court attackers

Police disciplinary report says 50 officers were present at time of attack but no one was on security duty.

ISLAMABAD: Investigative agencies released sketches of the two armed men who had attacked the district courts in Islamabad’s sector F-8 killing 11 people and injuring dozens on March 3, Express News reported.

The attackers, who were between 18 and 22 years of age, were slightly unshaven. One wore a hat while the other had curly hair, according to the sketches made based on eyewitness accounts and the descriptions provided by those who were injured in the suicide and gun attack.

The police have appealed to the public to provide details about the attackers on 0300-5000577 and 051-9261510. They have said that the informants' names and other details will remain confidential.

Police believe that four attackers had entered the district court on March 3 and had started firing after two suicide attacks. Two of the suspects had fled from the scene after the incident which a little-known militant group called Ahrarul Hind had claimed responsibility for.

The Supreme Court had taken a suo motu notice of the incident and had ordered the installation of high-resolution closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all district courts.

Police disciplinary report

According to the disciplinary report by the police, there were around 50 police officers present at the district courts in Islamabad at the time of the attack but no one was on security duty.

The report also stated that SHO of Margalla police station Khalid Awan reached the courts in 10 to 15 minutes even though the time it takes to reach the location was two minutes.

Since no one saw the attackers enter the courts it was not possible to tell how many attackers there were in total, the report further stated.

The report added that 25 of the police officers were armed with weapons provided by the government but no one fired.