ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A bomb exploded in the back garden of an Italian restaurant crowded with foreigners in Pakistan’s capital Saturday, killing a Turkish woman and wounding 11 others, including five Americans.
Personnel from the U.S. and British embassies were among the wounded after what appeared to be the first attack targeting foreigners in a recent wave of violence in Pakistan.
A list of victims was posted in the reception area at Islamabad’s Poly Clinic. Five U.S. citizens were listed as undergoing surgery. One Japanese citizen, one Canadian, one Briton and three Pakistanis also were wounded. Foreigners crowded around the list; some burst into tears.
Officials said the bomb was planted in the garden or thrown over a nearby wall of the Luna Caprese restaurant, a popular socializing spot for expatriates in Islamabad.
Pakistani Interior Secretary Kamal Shah confirmed the Turkish woman’s death. A police officer at the scene initially told reporters that two people had died.
The blast rang out across downtown Islamabad around 8:45 p.m. local time. Shah said a bomb could have been thrown over the wall.
“There were U.S. Embassy personnel among the injured. They are receiving medical treatment and their families are being notified,” said embassy spokeswoman Kay Mayfield. She was unable to confirm the number of personnel wounded and their nationalities.
The restaurant is frequented by foreigners and was crowded with a group of Americans and other foreign nationals Saturday when the blast went off, said restaurant employee Haji Mal, who was wounded.
The bomb struck two days before Pakistan’s new parliament was set to convene Monday. On Tuesday, two suicide bombings killed 24 people and wounded more than 200 in the eastern city of Lahore.
