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Banned group BLA claims attack on Pakistan Stock Exchange building, all four gunmen killed

Karachi - Two guards and a policeman on duty were killed by the attackers.

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Gunmen attacked the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in Karachi on Monday killing two guards and a policeman before security forces killed all four of the attackers, police said.

Separatist insurgents from Balochistan province - the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) - claimed responsibility in a post on Twitter but Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the claim and spokesmen for the group were not available for comment.

"We locked ourselves in our offices," Asad Javed, who works at a brokerage in the stock exchange building, which is in a high security zone that also houses the head offices of several banks, told Reuters.

We will issue a more detailed statement in due course once the situation is under control and more details are known.
For now firing has stopped and reinforcement are in place.

(2/2)#PSX
- PSX (@pakstockexgltd) June 29, 2020

Javed said he was on the ground floor when he heard gunfire and an explosion and people scattered for safety.

The police chief in Pakistan's biggest city and financial hub, Ghulam Nabi Memon, told Reuters the gunmen attacked with grenades and guns after pulling up in a silver Corolla car.

They threw a grenade at security men posted outside the compound then opened fire on a security post. The four were killed when security forces posted there responded.

Strongly condemn the attack on PSX aimed at tarnishing our relentless war on terror. Have instructed the IG & security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are caught alive & their handlers are accorded exemplary punishments. We shall protect Sindh at all costs.
- Imran Ismail (@ImranIsmailPTI) June 29, 2020

Their car was abandoned where they left it.

Two guards and a policeman were killed and seven people were wounded, Deputy Inspector General of Police Sharjil Kharal told media.

A counter-terrorism official told Reuters the attackers were carrying significant quantities of ammunition and grenades in backpacks.

The BLA claimed responsibility in a brief message on a Twitter account set up shortly before the raid, describing it as a "self-sacrificing" attack carried out by its Majeed brigade.

The account was suspended a short time after the attack.