Gunmen stormed into the Pakistan Stock Exchange building in the southern port city of Karachi on Monday morning killing at least two people, according to Pakistani media.
At least four people have been reported injured in the attack, some of them seen on video being wheeled out of the stock exchange – Pakistan’s largest and oldest – into waiting ambulances.
The attackers opened indiscriminate firing as they attempted to force their way into the building, lobbing grenades and firing from automatic weapons at security personnel.
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail condemned the attack that he insisted was aimed at what he described as “tarnishing our relentless war on terror”. Ismail said he had ordered security agencies to catch the attackers alive and deliver “exemplary punishment” to their handlers.
Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon told news agency Reuters that four attackers, who came in a silver Corolla car, had been killed. It isn’t clear if there are more terrorists in the building.
Police officer Rizwan Ahmed said the gunmen opened fire at the entrance and entered the stock exchange grounds. The complex has been surrounded by heavily armed special forces.
The complex is located in the heart of Karachi’s financial district, where the Pakistan State Bank is located as well as the headquarters of several national and international financial institutions, news agency AP said. The news agency quoted broker Yaqub Memon saying from inside the building that he and others are huddled inside their offices.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.