Pakistan says 4 from Afghanistan-based group arrested over Islamabad bombing

Pakistan said Friday it had arrested four members of a cell over this week's suicide bombing in Islamabad, which the government said was led from Afghanistan.

The Tuesday attack outside court buildings was claimed by a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Those arrested in connection with the bombing, which killed 12 people and wounded 37, were linked to the TTP, according to Islamabad.

"The network was handled and guided at every step by the... high command based in Afghanistan," a government statement said, adding that the cell's alleged commander and three other members were in custody.

"Investigations are continuing, and more revelations and arrests are expected," it said, identifying the bomber as Usman alias Qari, a resident of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan.

The government did not detail where the arrests were made.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the Senate on Thursday that the bomber was Afghan.

The accusations come amid a sharp deterioration in ties between Islamabad and Kabul, with Pakistan blaming Afghan-based militants -- particularly the TTP -- for a surge in attacks since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Kabul denies the charge.

Relations hit a low last month after recent attacks prompted the worst cross-border clashes in years, killing more than 70 people, including dozens of Afghan civilians, according to the United Nations.