Pakistan Marriott Hotel Bombing Death Toll Rising

A massive bomb blast has hit the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, killing at least 40 people.
BBC
VIDEO’s at website
The hotel’s owner said the explosion occurred when a lorry, which was being checked by security staff and sniffer dogs blew up at the hotel’s entrance.
The blast created a 20ft (6m) deep crater, and destroyed the entire front section of the hotel.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack and vowed to “continue to fight terrorism and extremism”.
In a statement, he said: “Such dastardly acts cannot dent the government’s commitment to fight this menace.

The explosion – a suspected suicide bombing – is thought to have been caused by more than a tonne of explosives and police are warning that the hotel could collapse.

The BBC’s defence and security correspondent, Rob Watson, says that the attack bears the hallmarks of al-Qaeda, given the scale, the target and what would appear to be the careful political timing involved.
The attack came just hours after the newly elected President Zardari had given his first speech to MPs, vowing not to allow Pakistan’s territory to be violated by terrorists or foreign powers fighting them.
Our correspondent says the attack is without doubt the most serious in the Pakistani capital to date and will spark fears about the country’s stability in the face of a growing Islamist insurgency.
The Marriott is the most prestigious hotel in the capital, and is popular with foreigners and the Pakistani elite.
The hotel is located near government buildings and diplomatic missions, so security is tight, with guests and vehicles subject to checks.
The Marriott has previously been the target of militants. Last year a suicide bomber killed himself and one other in an attack at the hotel.

And this………………………
Senior CIA officers were target of Islamabad blast
Islamabad , Sept 20 (ANI): Several senior officers of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who are reported to be currently visiting Islamabad were the target of the blast at the Marriott Hotel which took place here tonight.
Well placed sources said that Marriott Hotel is usual hotel choice of the US officials and it seems that militants tipped off that certain high level US intelligence officers were currently staying at the hotel.
While no confirmation was available but Pakistan sources said it was clear that the explosion was aimed at specific targets based on a tip off.

Wild Thing’s comment……….
Fox News channel was saying that it happened around dinnertime and many were in one of the five restaurants in the hotel ending their fast at the close of Ramadan.
Fox news reported that the president and prime minister of Pakistan were scheduled to have a dinner at the hotel at the same time….BUT THE PLANS WERE ALTERED AT THE 11th HOUR!! How Convenient!!
Bloomberg reports 3 American citizens killed

““The suicide bomber tried to enter from the main gate and blew up his truck,” Sadruddin Hashwani, who owns the Marriot, told reporters. “Gas pipelines exploded because of the blast, causing the fire. Some people are still stuck, and we’re trying to evacuate them.”
Close to Parliament

A Danish diplomat and three U.S. citizens were among the dead, Dawn News television reported, without saying where it got the information. Four Germans and six Saudi Arabian citizens were injured, the broadcaster said.

The hotel, which has been bombed at least once before, is in the city’s high-security zone, less than a kilometer from the parliament building, the President’s House and the diplomatic enclave.

The explosion shattered an adjacent government building, shredded trees and smashed more than 40 cars parked near the hotel. More than one ton (2,200 pounds) of explosives was used in the bomb, GEO TV reported, without saying where it got the information. “

UPDATE:
US Marines may have been target of Marriot attack: Officials
Islamabad, Sept 20 (IANS) US Marines staying at the Marriott Hotel may have been the target of Saturday’s suicide attack that killed more than 60 people, security officials said.They said that about 30 Marines were staying at the hotel and were scheduled to leave for Afghanistan early Sunday morning.
One official said that the American security personnel were in Pakistan for the just-concluded visit by the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen.
But another source said that they had come to Islamabad Friday and were scheduled to leave for Afghanistan on Sunday morning.
“We believe that they can have been the target of the suicide attack,” a senior security official told IANS. Otherwise, “we don’t find any other reason for such an attack”, he added.
The sources said that soon after the blast, US embassy officials reached the spot and were seen looking for the Marines who, according to the sources, were staying on the fourth floor of the hotel which was among the worst affected as the entire hotel turned into a blazing inferno with orange flames and thick smoke billowing out of its windows.
Besides the Marines, the staff of Saudi Airline and a number of foreigners was also staying at the Marriot.