At least seven people were killed in an attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in the country’s financial center of Karachi, authorities said.
The dead include a policeman, two guards and the four attackers, The head of the rescue service, Faisal Edhi, told Al Jazeera on Monday. Seven other were injured, including at least two police officers.
Gunmen attacked the building with grenades and pistols. The building is located in a high security area and also houses the headquarters of many private banks.
“Two were killed at the gate, and two went into a wounded state and then were killed there,” Edhi said, speaking to journalists near the site of the attack in Karachi’s main financial district.
Abid Habib, director of the Pakistan Stock Exchange, was in his office when the attack began. He told local media that he is hiding with 20 other staff members while paramilitary officers clean up the building.
“At 10 am (05:00 GMT), a car entered the building [complex] and they forcibly entered the building and started shooting randomly, “he said.
“There were gunshots … and suddenly everyone ran to the windows to see what was happening. Because the gunshots were close, everyone was very concerned and we closed our outer doors.”
Local media aired images showing police agencies clearing the area after intermittent shots and explosions were heard from the premises.
More than 1,000 merchants and staff were reportedly present in the building at the time of the attack.
