One dead, 11 injured in attack after Imran's rally

At least one person was killed and 11 others injured on Friday when suspected militants lobbed grenades and fired at a police truck soon after a rally of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan in northwest Pakistan.

The attackers hurled two grenades and fired with automatic weapons at the truck at Swabi in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police officials said.

Khan had left the area after addressing the rally organised by his Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party and was not near the site of the attack, witnesses said.
Officials said one person was killed in the attack.

Seven police personnel, including a woman constable, were among the injured. They were taken to a nearby hospital.

Speaking to Geo News channel, Khan said he was safe. He said the attack took place after he had left the venue of the rally.

In a statement, Khan described the attack as an act of cowardice. Such tactics would not deter his party from holding public gatherings, he said.

Footage on television showed people lifting some injured persons and putting them into private vehicles. An injured man lay in a pool of blood on the road. The police truck was damaged by the blasts.

The attack caused panic in the area and people rushed out of the venue of the rally. Shops in a nearby market closed down. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.