Six reported dead at Pakistan charity office shooting

Shooting broke out today at the office of a Christian charity in Karachi, Pakistan, killing six people, according to reports.

The shooting occurred at the offices of the Institute for Peace and Justice, a Christian charity that works in the city.

Gunmen entered the third-floor offices of the Christian welfare organisation, spraying it with automatic weapons fire and killing at least six, police said.

Among the dead were three Pakistani Christians and three Muslims. Four others were injured.

Police said the two gunmen got away.

The violence comes amid a crackdown on extremist groups that have targeted Christians and Westerners.

In recent days, police in Karachi have arrested 23 members of Harakat ul-Mujahedeen Al-Almi, which is believed to be behind a June bombing outside the US Consulate, a suicide car bomb in May that killed 11 French engineers, and aborted plots to attack US-based restaurants McDonald’s and KFC in the city.

Police found maps of two churches and a Christian school in Karachi, along with weapons and explosives, during the arrest of two of the suspected Al-Almi militants, interior ministry officials have said.

A string of violent assaults on Christian organisations have killed at least 30 people and injured about 100 in recent months.