What we know so far

• A group of terrorists attacked the Karachi Police Office located on Sharae Faisal, the main artery of the city. Traffic stopped.
• Three terrorists killed. Sources said at least two of them blew themselves up
• Two policeman martyred; a cleaner also died
• TTP claims responsibility for the attack
• Security personnel are ‘sweeping’ the building to ensure no one holed up

Karachi police chief office located on Sharae Faisal was cleared, more than four hours after it came under a terror attack on Friday, police officials said. A group of terrorists from the outlawed TTP stormed the multi-story building, killing two policemen, one Rangers man, and a worker. Over a dozen people were injured.

IGP Maqsood Memon told reporters that at least three terrorists were killed. He also confirmed that two policemen had been martyred.

At least two of the attackers wore suicide bombers.

A statement from the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) – where the bodies and injured were brought — said Constable Ghulam Abbas and cleaner Ajmal Masih were among the dead.

Thirty-five-year-old Rangers inspector Abdul Rahim, 50-year-old police constable Abdul Latif, 35-year-old Rangers man Imran, 48-year-old inspector Abdul Khaliq, 25-year-old Rangers man Tahir, and 22-year-old Edhi worker Sajid are among the wounded.

A huge explosion rocked the fourth floor of the building when a suicide bomber blew himself up, damaging a section of the building.

Gun fire continued for several hours after the attack began at around 7:45pm on Friday.

“Firing took place outside my office. It is still going on,” Additional IG Javed Odho told Aaj News shortly after the first report of the attack emerged.

Initial reports said between 8 and 10 terrorists stormed the Karachi Police Office (KPO) which houses offices of several police officers including the Karachi police chief.

There were conflicting reports about the number of attackers, with DIG Irfan Baloch putting the number at six at one point. Some reports also suggested the terrorist were in police uniforms.

After the operation ended, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said there were only three attackers and all of them were killed.

The attackers fired shots and threw hand grenade as they launched the attack. The lights at the building were switched off and the doors closed.

Paramilitary Rangers and additional police personnel rushed to the scene as soon as the explosions from grenades were heard. They surrounded the area. The situation, however, did not turn into a protracted siege.

Shahrah e Faisal was being opened up for traffic after more than three hours of closure, Sindh government spokesman Murtaza Wahab said in a tweet.

“Stay strong Karachi, u have seen some really bad times but u were strong & resilient. U fought hard and came out even stronger. May Allah Taa’aala be with all of us,” he said.

There could have been up to 30 police at the station at the time of the attack, Deputy Inspector General Irfan Baloch earlier told Reuters.

One hour into the attack, the IGP announced that two terrorists had been killed.

Kamran Sheikh reported that gunfire still continued even after the IGP said that two terrorists had been neutralized.

He said the police were trying to kill the attackers on the third floor of the building while minimizing their own damage.

A large number of police personnel were deployed around the building, he said.

The anti-terrorist wing of the Sindh Rangers conducted a clearance operation on the fourth floor of the police office, said an official statement.

The Brigadier and Wing Commanders of the Qalandar Force of Rangers Counter-Terrorism Division led the operation.

Around three hours later, officials announced three floors of the five-storey had been cleared by law enforcement agencies.

But some of the terrorists went to the rooftop. Army snipers were deployed to deal with them. They took out at least one of the attackers, officials said.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack in a message sent by their spokesman to journalists, Reuters reported.

Where is KPO

The police headquarters on the Sharae Faisal is called the Karachi Police Office, or KPO. It should not be confused with the Central Police Office located on the I.I. Chundrigar Road.

KPO building is in a side street, around 100 meters from the Sharae Faisal.

This is primarily a residential area. Next to the KPO lie a few blocks of apartment buildings. A police station for women is also located nearby — between the KPO and Sharae Faisal.

The KPO is located opposite the Gora Qaibristan on Sharae Faisal. The Finance &Trade Centre is a well-known landmark in the area.

Sharae Faisal, the main artery of the city, sees high traffic in the evening rush hours. After the attack began, many commuters were stranded in the traffic. Some returned to their offices.

DIGs directed to send reinforcement

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and directed the DIGs to send police force from their zones. “I want the suspects immediately arrested. The attack is unacceptable,” he said and sought a report from the officials.

“Police and Rangers are trying to enter the building as a heavy exchange of fire continues,” DIG South Irfan Baloch told Aaj news at one point.

He said that at least six terrorists were present in the building.

“Efforts are being made to arrest or eliminate terrorists soon,” he added.

Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a private news channel that as per Karachi Police Chief AIG Javeed Akhter Odho, the terrorists reached the third floor before armed guards and other police officers engaged them.

Sanaullah said there was no threat of an attack against the KPO. “There was a general threat of terrorism across the country but there was no specific threat for this office,” he added.

Condemnation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the police office, according to a statement.

Taking strict notice of the attack, the prime minister asked for a report on the incident.

He appreciated the police and security forces for their effective action against the terrorists. He instructed Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to extend full cooperation of the federal government in the clean-up operation against the terrorists.

He underlined the need for “collective action and the full force of the state to root out the menace of terrorism”.

“The terrorists had once again targeted Karachi but this kind of cowardly act could not weaken the resolve of police and law enforcement agencies,” he said, “The whole nation stood with police and security institutions.”

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned the terrorist attack on Karachi police.

“Sindh police have bravely faced and crushed terrorism before. We have full faith they will do so again, such cowardly attacks will not deter us,” he said in a tweet.

This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.