A Pakistani policeman shoots and kills a blasphemy suspect held at a police station

Source: Associated Press

A Pakistani policeman shoots and kills a blasphemy suspect held at a police station

By ABDUL SATTAR
Updated 4:32 AM EDT, September 12, 2024

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A policeman opened fire inside a police station in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Thursday, killing a suspect held on accusations of blasphemy, a local official said.

The slain man was identified as Syed Khan. Police said he had been arrested the day before, after officers snatched him from an enraged mob that claimed he had insulted Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

According to police official Mohammad Khurram, the officer involved in the fatal shooting has been arrested. Khurram did not provide further details.

Killings of suspects while in police custody are rare in Pakistan, where accusations of blasphemy — sometimes even just rumors — are common and often spark rioting and rampage by mobs that can escalate into lynching and killings.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-police-blasphemy-suspect-3c81fb0c8cd105bcbb06f9ed3b058454