A major IED bomb blast went off in Lahore's Johar Town on Wednesday, merely a few meters away from globally-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed's residence. According to local sources, Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) was present inside the house when the blast took place. The jailed anti-India terrorist leader is believed to be the target, but Saeed escaped unhurt.
According to the reports, at least three people are believed to be dead in the major bomb blast and nearly 20 left injured. Of the deceased, one person was deputed for the protection of Saeed and was a member of LeT and JuD. The car bomb was 120m away from Saeed's house, which was converted into a sub-jail by the Pakistan Police where he was placed under protection.
"Explosive material was installed in the car. There was a police picket outside the high-value target's house. The car could not cross the police picket," Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab Ghani said, describing it as "a terror" act.
Terror attack investigation underway
The footage from the bomb site shows severely damaged buildings and vehicles and a lot of debris all over. Those injured in the attack have been moved to Lahore's Jinnah Hospital.
The police are investigating the blast, and are yet to ascertain its nature and those behind it. Saeed was designated a terrorist by the US Justice Department and there's a $10 million bounty on his head. He was blamed for carrying out the deadly 2008 Mumbai terror attack, which killed 166 people.
Last year, Pakistan sentenced Saeed to 15 years in jail in a terror-financing case, but there were no charges brought up against him for the Mumbai attacks.
