Two policemen killed in attack at US Consulate
Police arrested one of the assailants and took his gun after chasing him through a nearby park. The man was identified as an Afghan, officers said.
An unknown number of gunmen were in the park when they fired on the police post next to the heavily fortified US mission.
The shooting occurred as midday prayers were to begin and several of the policemen were preparing to pray, said police officers at the site. The gunmen used pistols and automatic rifles. Among the wounded was a pedestrian caught in the crossfire.
No Americans were wounded in the attack. “The consulate is very well protected and all the Americans were inside,” Police Chief Kamal Shah told reporters outside the US building.
US Consul General John Bauman said a camera mounted on the outside of the building recorded the shooting, according to police who spoke to him.
Bauman ventured outside the consulate briefly to inspect the site and meet police officers.
“We are trying to get details from the Pakistani authorities about it,” said Terry White, spokesman for the US Embassy in Islamabad. “I understand the local police are investigating it and we hope they will be able to determine who were the attackers and what was their purpose.”
The United States already has evacuated family members from Pakistan as have most foreign missions here. A US Embassy worker and her daughter were killed last March in an attack on a nondenominational church in the Pakistani capital.
“We are very security conscious, fortunately we are getting excellent cooperation from the Pakistani security agencies,” White said.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said his government was saddened by the attack and the deaths of the policemen.
“This is a tragic incident,” Ahmed said in an interview. “We are a target for terrorists. These people, whoever they are, are enemies of our country and are out to harm Pakistan’s image.”
Security has been intense around the US facility since a bombing last June killed 12 people, all Pakistanis. Cement barricades stop vehicles from entering the area, set up to prevent car bombings. High walls surround the consulate and entry and exit from the building is closely guarded.
Five suspects accused of masterminding the June bombing are on trial in the southern port city, charged with conspiracy, murder and terrorism. They face the death penalty if convicted.
The car bombing was one of a series of attacks on foreigners and minority Christians in Pakistan since President General Pervez Musharraf threw his support behind the US-led war against terrorism.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
