| Sialkot mosque bombing | |
| Date: | 1 October 2004 |
| Type: | Car bombing |
| Fatalities: | 31 |
| Weapons: | Improvised explosive device |
On 1 October 2004, a bombing occurred at the Zainabia mosque[1] in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan.[2] Hundreds of Shia Muslims were attending Friday prayers in the mosque at the time.[2] The improvised explosive device was hidden in a briefcase and exploded in the centre of the prayer hall.[2] It killed 31 people and injured dozens of others.[3] A second bomb weighing about twelve kilograms was found in a briefcase and defused by a bomb disposal squad.
Before the explosion, witnesses identified a "youth carrying a briefcase" entering the mosque.[3] At 1:25p.m. PKT (8:25a.m. UTC), an explosive device was set off in the mosque hall, instantly killing 16 people and injuring dozens.[3] [4] The explosion left a 0.60 meter (2 ft) deep crater and shattered windows on nearby buildings.[4] Fifteen injured victims later died of their injuries.[3]
After the explosion, two unidentified individuals threw another briefcase at the entrance of the mosque and fled. The briefcase had 12kg of explosive material, which was defused by a bomb disposal squad.[4]
On 1 and 2 October, there were riots in Sialkot in response to the bombing.[3] Shia rioters set fire to a police station and the mayor's office.[3] They looted shops and gas stations and damaged dozens of vehicles.[3] In response, the Army deployed troops to the city and firefighters attended.[3]