Police officer pulls pin and detonates grenade in Pakistani anti-terror court

The officer believed the device had been disarmed
Blast: The police officer was showing the judge how the hand grenade worked when it detonated
EPA
Sebastian Mann13 April 2016

At least two people were injured when a police officer accidentally detonated a grenade as he gave evidence in a Pakistani anti-terror court.

The judge was also thrown from the bench in the blast after Constable Liaquat Ali removed the pin, causing the device to blow up - despite his assurances it was disarmed.

He was demonstrating to the judge how the detonator of the grenade worked as he presented it in evidence against a man accused of fighting police, the Guardian reported.

A court official told the paper the officer was responding to the defence’s claims the detonator would have been too complex to be operated by the defendant.

Trials in other courtrooms were suspended amid the chaos caused by the explosion.

One lawyer elsewhere in the building, in Karachi, told the Guardian: “We thought the whole building was under attack from terrorists.

“Everyone was just rushing towards the exits.”

Constable Ali suffered injuries to his hand in the blast but has since been discharged from hospital.

A court assistant was also hurt and said to have received hospital treatment for minor injuries.

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