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Consulate staff attacked in Pakistan

28 October 2010 21:08 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Three people have been injured as unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Japanese consular vehicle in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, APA reports quoting Press TV.

Deputy Consul General Toshikazu Isomura told Kyodo news agency from Karachi that the attackers fired at the vehicle on Thursday when two employees of the diplomatic mission got out of the car to go shopping after withdrawing cash from a bank.

They were approached by a man who demanded money, according to Isomura. Armed men subsequently opened fire on the occupants of the car.

The gunmen fled on a motorbike after the shooting. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Police cordoned off the area after the incident and launched an investigation.

Police officials said that it was apparently an incident of car snatching and the attackers managed to run away with $2,400 and 27,000 Pakistani rupees ($314).

Karachi police chief Fayyaz Leghari said those injured included two Pakistani consulate staffers as well as a security guard. The guard has received a gunshot on his hand.

Leghari added that the wounded employees of the Japanese consulate have been taken to hospital. He noted that no foreign national was in the car when it was attacked.

Karachi, a port city with a population of more than 16 million, has been rocked by a spate of violence in recent weeks that has claimed dozens of lives.