Net foils quadcopter bomb attack on Hassan Khel police station in Peshawar
An attack on Hassan Khel police station on the outskirts of Peshawar failed when an explosive dropped by a quadcopter was caught in an anti-drone net. Police are investigating and a bomb disposal unit was called to defuse the device.
- A quadcopter-borne explosive was caught in an anti-drone net on the Hassan Khel police station roof.
- Police called the bomb disposal unit and have started an investigation.
- Nets were installed at KP police stations and check posts about a month earlier.
An attempted drone attack on Hassan Khel police station, on the outskirts of Peshawar, was foiled after an explosive device carried by a quadcopter became trapped in an anti-drone safety net on the station's roof, according to Daily Times. The device did not reach the building.
Daily Times, citing an initial police report, said the incident took place on Wednesday morning, when unidentified miscreants tried to drop the explosive from a quadcopter.
Express News quoted Peshawar's Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mian Saeed as saying the attack by terrorists failed and that a bomb shell dropped by a quadcopter did not explode because of the iron nets. He credited security measures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the failure of the attack.
Police called the bomb disposal unit to defuse the device. Daily Times reported that an energy drink bottle was used as the casing of the suspected explosive, which also contained nails and bolts.
Police have begun an investigation. Details about the security situation and the attackers are still awaited.
Express News reported that about a month earlier Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police had installed iron nets at police stations and check posts to guard against drone attacks, because the nets reduce damage.
Daily Times also reported that the Peshawar Safe City Project's central command system has been linked with drone and anti-drone technology, described as the first such integration of a drone unit and an anti-drone system with a Safe City project in Pakistan.
The anti-drone system monitors drones within radar coverage of up to five kilometres and generates automatic alerts. Suspicious activity triggers an immediate notification to the Safe City control room. Drone surveillance will also operate in Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat, and live feeds will let officials monitor field operations and support the Counter Terrorism Department.
Why it matters
Attacks on police in Peshawar affect security across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the families and residents living near police stations. The incident shows the drone threat that police there are guarding against.
