Islamabad:
A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a private bank in the heart of the Pakistani capital today, killing a security guard and injuring several others, police said.
The bomber detonated his explosive vest when he was stopped by a security guard as he tried to enter the bank at the market in Sector I-8, police officials said.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Bin Yamin confirmed that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.
The guard who stopped the bomber was killed and several others were injured, officials said.
Officials at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences said they had received one body and three injured persons.
The condition of two wounded was described as serious. Officials said they had found the head of the bomber, who appeared to be about 18 to 19 years old. He was dressed in a shalwar-kameez and approached the bank on foot.
Footage on television showed the facade of the private bank was destroyed by the powerful blast. All the windows were blown out and the ceiling collapsed. Pieces of metal and tangled wires hung at the entrance of the bank.
Police and rescue teams rushed to the area and pushed away people who gathered at the site due to fears of a second blast being triggered there.
No group claimed responsibility for the blast. Three persons, including a teenage boy, were injured when an explosive device went off beside a road on the outskirts of Islamabad yesterday.