Karachi (AsiaNews) – Mgr Evaristo Pinto, Auxiliary Archbishop of Karachi, "condemns the suicide bomb attack at the Madina-tul-Ilm mosque".

The attack was carried out by three armed men who late last night tried to enter the building. One of them succeeded and blew himself up, killing five people and seriously wounding another 18.

Archbishop Pinto told AsiaNews that "it is not only the loss of life and the destruction of property [that hurts], but also how a place of worship has been dishonoured."

"We are sad and pray for the deceased and injured, but such violence, in which people die whatever their religion, must be strongly condemned," he added.

In the city, residents are still shaken from what happened. Angry youth have taken to streets and some have attacked and set on fire a fast-food restaurant located near the mosque. Six employees of the restaurant belonging to the US-based KFC Corporation burnt to death, their charred bodies found only this morning.

The mob also set ablaze cars and a bus and two petrol stations.

City police chief Tariq Jamil called the mosque attack an "act of sectarian terrorism". He repeated that whilst the three attackers tried to enter the building, only one succeeded in blowing himself up in its veranda. The other attacker was killed and another wounded. During the shootout, a police official was killed. Moreover, with about 100 people praying inside at the time, had the assailants reached the worshippers, the number of dead would have been much higher.

According to local sources, the attack is a response to the murder of Aslam Mujahid, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami (a party in the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, a coalition of Islamic parties), whose bullet-riddled body was found in his car in the Korangi-Landhi area of Karachi.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said, that it was "a despicable act and we condemn it. We will launch full investigations into it."

Karachi is one of Pakistan's hotspot for sectarian violence and last night's mosque attack was the second in a week. On May 27, a bomb in the Bari Imam shrine killed 18 people in Islamabad.