2 Killed as Motorcycle Loaded with Explosives Detonates in Pakistan’s Peshawar

Security personnel examine the site of a blast in Peshawar district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on March 10, 2024. (Photo by Abdul MAJEED / AFP)
Security personnel examine the site of a blast in Peshawar district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on March 10, 2024. (Photo by Abdul MAJEED / AFP)
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2 Killed as Motorcycle Loaded with Explosives Detonates in Pakistan’s Peshawar

Security personnel examine the site of a blast in Peshawar district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on March 10, 2024. (Photo by Abdul MAJEED / AFP)
Security personnel examine the site of a blast in Peshawar district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on March 10, 2024. (Photo by Abdul MAJEED / AFP)

A motorcycle packed with explosives went off in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Sunday morning, killing two people and severely injuring another, police said.
The motorcycle carried between 4 and 5 kilograms (9 to 11 pounds) of explosives when it detonated in the Board Bazaar area of Peshawar, said Kashif Abbasi, senior superintendent of police operations in Peshawar.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and it is unclear if the blast was intentional, The Associated Press reported.
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is a former stronghold of the militant Pakistani Taliban group, also known as the TTP. The city has seen several deadly attacks in recent years.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered prayers for the victims. “We are fully determined to root out terrorism,” he said.



Case of Italian Journalist Detained in Iran ‘Complicated’, Rome Says

A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
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Case of Italian Journalist Detained in Iran ‘Complicated’, Rome Says

A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)

The case of an Italian journalist being held in Iran is "complicated", but Rome hopes to bring 29-year-old Cecilia Sala home quickly, Italy's foreign minister said on Saturday.

Sala, 29, who works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media, was detained in Tehran on Dec. 19 but her arrest was only made public on Friday.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he hoped the issue could be resolved quickly but added: "It doesn't depend on us."

"We're trying to solve an issue that's complicated," he was quoted as saying by the news agency ANSA.

Tajani said Sala was being held in a single cell, in decent conditions that Italy would keep monitoring:

"It looks like she is being treated in a way that is respectful of personal dignity," he said. "So far we haven't had negative feedback."

Tajani said the official reason for Sala's detention was not yet clear, but that he hoped her lawyer could visit her soon and find out more.

There was no official public confirmation of the arrest from Iran, and Tajani declined to say whether it might be linked to the arrest of an Iranian in Italy this month at the request of the US.

Sala, who is being held in Tehran's Evin prison, left Italy for Iran on Dec. 12 with a valid journalist visa, Chora Media said on Friday. She had been due to fly back to Rome on Dec. 20.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was following Sala's case closely with the aim of bringing her home as soon as possible, urging the media to treat the issue with the "necessary caution".