ISLAMABAD, 7 February 2007 — A suicide bomber blew himself up after opening fire at the Islamabad International Airport yesterday, killing himself and injuring at least five people.

The attacker was heading toward the VIP section of the airport and began firing when security staff stopped him, injuring two guards, airport security official Akram Khan said. The man then blew himself up, wounding at least three other people, Khan said. “It is believed to be a suicide attack,” Khan said.

“At least five people have been injured including two guards and the suspected bomber is dead. He was moving toward the VIP lounge. The guards stopped him and tried to search him but he opened fire. Then he exploded.”

Police have cordoned off the airport over fears of further attacks, Khan added. Another police official, Mohammed Afzal, said the blast damaged several cars and hurt some people.

Mohammed Sarib, an eyewitness, said he saw a man exchanging fire with security officials. “That man later blew himself up,” he told the Associated Press.

A security official said on condition of anonymity that airport security officials arrested a man who was trying to flee the scene. It was unclear whether the detained man was a suspected accomplice of the suicide attacker.

Private GEO television said the blast happened shortly after Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz arrived at the airport following a trip to Gwadar. Officials would not confirm the report.

Militants Kill Two ‘US Spies’

Suspected pro-Taleban militants killed two men they accused of being US spies in the tribal region near the Afghan border, residents said yesterday.

The bodies of two men who appeared to be Afghan refugees were found near a village about 15 km east of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, residents said.

“Their bodies were riddled with bullets and the throat of one of the bearded men was slit,” one resident, Mohammad Ayub, said. He said a note found near the bodies read: “Those spying for America will meet the same fate.” The bodies were taken to the municipal office in Miranshah where they had yet to be claimed, he said.

Gul Pazir, a journalist in North Waziristan told Arab News on telephone the killers had shot the two Afghans in the heads and legs.

Brig. Javed Iqbal Cheema, head of the Crisis Management Cell in the Interior Ministry told Arab News the security forces were doing their best to prevent violence and killings. He said many operations are carried out but the details are not disclosed to the media because of security reasons.

The tribal chiefs of North Waziristan had given an undertaking to the federal government as per the agreement that there would be no killings. But they seem to have reneged on the pledge.