The aftermath of the car bombing that killed four people in Lahore on June 23. (Photo supplied)
Pakistani police have arrested a Christian foreigner suspected of involvement in a bombing in Lahore that killed four people.
Law enforcement agencies removed Peter Paul David from a Karachi-bound flight at Lahore airport on June 24 and took him to an undisclosed location for interrogation.
He is said to be the owner of the car used in the June 23 blast that also injured 24 people in Johar town. Several buildings and vehicles were damaged in the explosion near the house of Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, who was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
David denied his involvement and claimed that he handed over the car to a masked man, apparently because of Covid, in Gujranwala city of Punjab province. According to police, the car was planted with 25-30 kilograms of explosives.
Dominican Sister Regina Youhana was in St. Dominic High School of Johar town at the time of the bombing.
“The school was about to close when we heard the blast. Thank God all the children were safe. The nuns started getting calls from their relatives. We were shocked,” she told UCA News.
Christians of Pakistan are a peace-loving community and have never been part of terrorism
Father Qaiser Feroz, executive secretary of the Pakistani bishops' social communications commission, said this was the first time a Christian had been suspected of a bombing in Pakistan.
“Christians of Pakistan are a peace-loving community and have never been part of terrorism. We condemn the bombing and pray for the families of the victims,” he said.
Social media users are urging authorities to punish the culprit and resist diplomatic pressure.
“We have not forgotten Raymond Davis. We know what will happen,” stated Salahuddin Babar in a tweet.
In 2011, Davis, an American official, shot dead two Pakistani men in what he said was self-defense in a market area in Lahore. He immediately left Pakistan after the families of the victims were paid blood money.