At least 18 people were killed and 147 including 5 police officials sustained severe injuries when a powerful blast ripped through the Central Investigation Department (CID) office located adjacent to the Chief Minister House and PIDC. According to a foreign news agency, banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility of the attack. CID building along with 10 other nearby buildings has completely demolished due to this blast and a 15 to 20 feet deep crater has been formed at the site. According to initial investigations, CID centre was attacked from three sides. The investigative report clearly states that firstly the attackers targeted and fired at the guards on duty at main gate; where as the other attackers gained attention of other guards present towards the railway line, after which the main attacker then managed to enter his explosive laden vehicle into the CID centre and blew it up near gate no. 2 which caused massive destruction. The debris of the demolished building after this blast is being removed from the site. Police officials and rescue workers are busy in clearing the debris; where as police officials are also collecting their office material and remaining weapons from the site. Rescue workers are clearing the main entrance of building so that investigation teams can easily go inside.According to CCPO Karachi, few unidentified persons reached outside the CID office and started indiscriminate firing at CID check post. Afterwards, a vehicle came and a power explosion occurred, the CCPO added. Ambulances and rescue teams rushed to the blast site and shifted the dead bodies and injured to Jinnah and Civil hospitals where emergency was declared. A heavy contingent of police and law enforcement agencies arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area. Three suspected people have also been arrested from the blast site. MQM leader Altaf Hussain has said that terrorist elements involved in destroying Karachi and spreading bloodshed here are simply the enemies of Pakistan. While Interior Minister Sindh Zulfiqar Mirza has said that we had been receiving threats regarding the attack since a long time; however lesser damage has been done due to strategy implemented by police. He also said that this blast was of the same measure as of Marriot blast in Islamabad.
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