Nine dead after mosque attack
 |
A father mourns the death of his son after bringing him to a hospital
Story Tools
|
KARACHI, Pakistan (CNN) – Gunmen stormed a mosque in southern Pakistan, killing a 7-year-old boy and eight other people, and wounding seven others.
Authorities say most of the victims were watching a cricket match near the Shiite Mehdi Mosque in the port city of Karachi when the bullets hit them.
The rest were among about 25 worshippers inside during evening payers on Saturday, police added.
Shiite Muslims, angered over the attack, burned a truck, smashed windows and threw objects at a provincial official.
The helmet-wearing mosque attackers used automatic weapons to fire inside and outside the mosque, police said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the incident, which occurred about 6:15 p.m. (8:15 a.m. ET), but a centuries old religious conflict could be at play.
Shiite Muslim mosques are a clear target for Sunni Muslim extremist groups, many of whom regard Shiites as non-Muslims.
While Pakistan has been hit by a rash of attacks against Westeners and Catholics over the past year, this latest raid signals a return to regional religious violence.
-- Aneesh Raman and Syed Mohsin Naqvi contributed to this report.
