Christians and police targeted in Karachi blasts

A powerful car bomb blew up outside a Christian Bible society in Karachi today, injuring 12 people, damaging the wall of a nearby church and shattering parked cars.

The attack in the Pakistan port city took place just after police received an anonymous phone warning that the Pakistan Bible Society would be targeted.

Police operations chief Tariq Jameel said that shortly after the officers arrived, assailants in a car drove up and lobbed a small explosive device at them.

Fifteen minutes later, a bomb hidden in a nearby parked car exploded, Jameel said. Twelve people, among them six police and paramilitary officers, were injured.

Shahbaz Bhatti, the head of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, said the attack had raised concerns across the country.

“This terrorist act has increased the sense of insecurity among Christians. We are shocked, grieved and worried,” he said. “These people are hell bent on creating anarchy in the country.”

The motive for the attack was not immediately known, and the assailants got away.

Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and its industrial and manufacturing heart, has been the site of several terrorist attacks in recent years, as well as bouts of sectarian and political violence.