Blast kills 8 at Danish Embassy in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — As many as eight people were killed and up to 32 injured Monday in Pakistan's capital after a powerful car bomb ripped through the Danish Embassy, which has been under threat since Danish newspapers published controversial cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad.

The bombing was the first to occur in Islamabad in a little more than two months, and the second this year to target foreigners living and working in the Pakistani capital.

Pakistan has been racked by political unrest and violence since early last year, but attacks have intensified since the country's former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated Dec. 27. More than 150 people have been killed in violence since parliamentary elections Feb. 18.

The army was deployed Monday in Islamabad as President Pervez Musharraf drove to the capital from his home in neighboring Rawalpindi. After the blast, the convoy of Musharraf, himself the target of three assassination attempts, immediately left the city.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though suspicion quickly fell on al-Qaida. As recently as April, the terror network's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, called for attacks on Danish targets in response to the drawings.

Most of the embassy's foreign workers had moved out of the building after Danish newspapers in February republished the cartoon showing Muhammad wearing a bomb as a turban. The incident unleashed a furor throughout the Islamic world, and Danish diplomatic missions have been on high alert ever since. Monday's explosion, in the heart of one of the most closely guarded areas of the city, could be heard from nearly a mile away.

The powerful blast sent the Toyota Corolla's engine flying 50 yards away and the gear shaft about 1,000 yards. It rattled windows more than a mile away, blew a crater in the street about 8 feet wide and 4 feet deep, destroyed the wall outside the embassy and wrecked at least 25 cars. Three hours after the blast, trees nearby were still smoldering.

The blast killed at least two police officers and two guards, officials said. The deputy commissioner of Islamabad said the death toll was four, but various news agencies reported six fatalities and paramedics said eight people had died, including a little girl, whose body lay in the street. A sweeper and a pedestrian were also killed, witnesses said.

Up to 32 people were injured, some critically, officials said.

Analysts said the attack was aimed not just at the Danish, but at the new Pakistani government, which has been trying to sign peace deals with extremists since winning office in February.

The U.S. has expressed concern the deals will give militant groups time to regroup and plan more attacks, and Monday's blast could lead the West to push Pakistan to rely more on military operations against extremists.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.