28 October 2009 Peshawar Bombing

On 28 October 2009, a car bomb exploded outside the Meena Bazar in Peshawar, Pakistan, in the Peepal Mindi shopping section, an area used primarily by women and children shoppers. According to North West Frontier Province information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, most of the victims were women and children. Bomb squad worker Shafqatullah Malik stated the device contained approximately 150 kilograms (330 lb) of explosives. The blast killed 137 people and injured more than 200 others, making it the deadliest attack in Peshawar's history and the deadliest in Pakistan since the 2007 Karachi bombing.

The explosion ignited widespread fires among nearby stores selling flammable fabrics, compounding the casualties and damage. A four-story building collapsed in the blast, as did a nearby mosque, while four other four-story buildings were damaged. Rescuers and civilians searched the rubble for survivors and victims as the death toll rose from an initial estimate of 90. As of 30 October, as many as 60 people remained unaccounted for. Among those killed was a female teacher who had been shopping for her children.

Medical and rescue staff reported being unprepared for an attack of this scale. Responder Muzamil Hussain said there were insufficient ambulances, forcing victims to be transported by rickshaw, and alleged that police were largely absent or, in some instances, fired on responders. Peshawar's senior civil servant, Azam Khan, acknowledged that "the police strength of Peshawar cannot secure everything," noting that militants had breached a three-ring police cordon around the city. Deputy coordination officer Sahibzada Anees cited a shortage of trained firefighters and difficulty moving heavy excavation equipment through the city's narrow streets. Nearby Lady Reading Hospital declared a state of emergency, and officials appealed for blood donations. NWFP Chief Minister Amir Hyder Khan Hoti ordered an inquiry into the attack.

Pakistani government officials attributed the bombing to the Pakistani Taliban, describing it as a probable response to an army operation against militants in South Waziristan, but the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and Al-Qaeda both denied involvement, with Al-Qaeda stating in a media email that it does not target bazaars or mosques. No individual or group has been charged in connection with the attack based on available reporting. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani condemned the bombing, as did Afghan President Hamid Karzai, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (then visiting Pakistan), and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

A later investigation update noted that on 24 April 2015, Italian anti-terrorism (DIGOS) detectives arrested a cell in Italy that allegedly plotted to bomb the Vatican; according to an Italian anti-terrorism officer, evidence suggested the 2009 Peshawar attack had been substantially planned and financed from Olbia, Sardinia, with Italy-based militants said to have taken part.