Suicide attack at Pakistani airport wounds three police.

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - A suicide attacker opened fire at Pakistan’s Islamabad International airport before blowing himself up with a hand grenade, injuring three people, the interior minister said.

The attack was the second suicide blast in Islamabad and the fifth in Pakistan since January 26, raising fears that Taliban militants based near the Afghan border are taking their fight to the heart of the country.

The bomber headed towards the VIP section of the airport in a vehicle with two other men, and he began firing after security staff stopped it in the carpark outside, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao told AFP. “One of the men started firing at the security staff, injuring a member of the Airport Security Force, an elite police commando and a policeman,” Sherpao said. “They shot back at the attacker, then he tried to throw a grenade at them but when police retaliated, it fell from his hand and exploded and he died,” he said.

“The suicide belt he was wearing did not explode, it was still intact.” …

The top half of the attacker’s body, with its face masked by a scarf, was lying around 10 metres (30 feet) from the outer gate of the floodlit carpark. His legs were blown to pieces by the blast, witnesses said. …

“A Taliban-type man with a long beard got out of the car when we asked where he was heading for,” the Airport Security Force member injured in the gunbattle, who gave his name as Abdullah, told private Aaj Television.

“He started running and pulled out two pistols and started firing at us. We retaliated, he was hit, we also were hit, and then he blew himself up.”