Update – Pakistan Marriott Bombing Bares Hallmarks of al Qaeda

A suicide bomb attack that killed 53 people at the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan’s capital bore the hallmarks of an operation by al Qaeda or an affiliate, Pakistani and U.S. intelligence officials said on Sunday.

Teams combing the burnt shell of the hotel found more charred bodies after the blast on Saturday evening ignited a blaze that swept through the hotel, part of a U.S.-based chain and a favorite haunt of diplomats and wealthy Pakistanis.

Internal security in nuclear-armed Pakistan, a country vital to the war against al Qaeda and other Islamist militant groups, has deteriorated alarmingly over the past two years.

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Video Tape Of Events Leading Up To Explosion Shown At Press Conference

A video tape, recorded by a security TV camera of the Marriott Hotel, which was shown at a press conference on Sunday, raised questions about security arrangements made to avert a terrorist attack in the capitals high security areas.

The video clip showed a six-wheeler dumper truck hitting a steel barrier at the hotels main entrance. The attacker, who could not be seen in the film, opened fire on security guards, forcing them to retreat, and then blew himself up causing a small blast which set the truck on fire.

A number of courageous security guards reappear, one of them with a fire extinguisher who tries to extinguish the blaze but fails. He tries repeatedly to douse flames as traffic is seen on the road. There is no sign of movement in the truck and the footage does not show the massive blast which wreaked the havoc.

Questions have been raised as to how such a huge quantity of highly explosive material (RDX and TNT) could be brought into the capital and then taken to the high security area. And there were only five or six private guards at the hotel gate and no arrangement to put out fire.

It was the first incident in the capital in which terrorists used RDX and TNT explosives. In all previous blasts the terrorists had used potassium. Aluminium powder used in the explosion caused the fire inside the hotel, Mr Malik said.

Analysts said the attack could have been averted had the fire on the truck been extinguished before it reached the explosives.

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Excellent article by Bill Roggio at Long War Journal on how this latest bombing demonstrates al Qaedas increased sophistication in carrying out it’s attacks.

The bombing yesterday at the Marriott hotel in Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad is shaping up to be one of the country’s most deadly attacks. The complex attack is the latest in a series of al Qaeda attacks that have occurred in the Middle East and South Asia over the last five years.

More than 70 people have been reported killed and 257 have been reported wounded so far in what the Pakistani press has dubbed “Pakistan’s 9/11.” The death toll is expected to rise as more people are believed to have been trapped in the hotel. Dozens of Westerners have been wounded in the attack, and there are unconfirmed reports one or more Westerners have been killed.

The massive blast left a crater 25 foot deep by 20 feet wide. The blast detonated a natural gas line in the hotel, which then set several floors of the hotel ablaze. Several floors of the hotel are still on fire. The hotel is essentially destroyed, there are fears the structure will collapse due to fire and blast damage. Buildings blocks away were heavily damaged.
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The attack was well planned and executed. The strike occurred in a so-called secure zone in Islamabad. Two vehicles were involved in the attack, according to Geo TV. A small vehicle breached the outer security barrier. A large dump truck packed with more than one ton of explosives then moved through the breach and detonated at the front of the hotel.

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