Bombs rip through food giveaway at Pakistani church

A Pakistani church was filled with around 600 worshipers Sunday when it was attacked by as many as two suicide bombers, officials in Peshawar said. The death toll climbed to at least 75 with more than 100 wounded by the twin blasts at the All Saint's Church, where many members of Sunday's congregation were gathering for a food giveaway on the front lawn. "As soon as the service finished and the food was being distributed, all of a sudden we heard one explosion, followed by another," said witness Azim Ghori. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from the Taliban or other militant groups for what The New York Times called the worst attack on Pakistan's Christian minority in years. The incident was immediately condemned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and by the Pakistan Ulema Council, the nation's largest clerical body, which issued a statement saying the group was "standing with our Christian brothers in this tragedy." The preliminary investigation said police guards intercepted one suicide bomber outside the church. The suspect was believed to have detonated the bomb he was carrying moments before a second blast occurred inside the church. Police later said it appeared more likely there was only one bomber, who threw a hand grenade into the church before setting off his own device, The Times said.