After repeated threats by the extremist Taliban against the Peshawar Press Club, on December 22, 2009, a suicide bomber attacked the media site in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing several individuals.

DAWN reported on the threats by the Taliban against the Peshawar Press Club, and the increased security measures that made no difference in preventing the suicide bomber attack: “Taliban militants, who are powerful in northwest Pakistan, threatened media in Peshawar, said the president of the press club, Shamim Shahid. ‘We beefed up security after the threats and people coming to the club were properly checked,’ he said.”

Just slightly over a week earlier, other reports had shown how the Peshawar Press Club had become site for those arguing about “conspiracies” of the U.S. against Pakistan, and arguing that Pakistan should support the Afghanistan Taliban’s “nationalistic” goal.  On December 16, 2009, Dawn reported that “On Monday, the Peshawar Press Club was the venue of a seminar entitled ‘Conspiracies of US and India against Pakistan’ at which the speakers advocated talks with the Taliban on the grounds that the fight in Afghanistan is a ‘nationalist struggle’ and the violence in Pakistan is the direct result of the American presence in the region.”

Anti-democracy, extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir has also repeatedly appeared at the Peshawar Press Club.  On December 20, 2009 in Chicago, Hizb ut-Tahrir America hosted an event calling for an end to military activities against the Taliban.  Hizb ut-Tahrir recently provided an “open letter to the Ulema of Pakistan” in which it states that “America is an open, hostile, kafir enemy of Muslims.”

Press agency Sify reports that the suicide bomber was a teenager:  “An eyewitness said the suicide bomber appeared to be 17 or 18 years old.”

Journalists assist a man who was injured in a suicide bomb attack at the site at the gate of the Press club in Peshawar, located in NWFP on December 22, 2009. (Reuters )