The attack comes two weeks after a suicide bombing at an Imambargah in Shikarpur killed 61 people, the deadliest sectarian incident to hit the country in nearly two years. Shehram Tarakai, the health minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital, told AFP the incident had left a total of 19 people dead, including the three militants, as well as 67 wounded.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack in an email statement, saying it was revenge for a militant known as Doctor Usman, who was hanged in December. "This is a series of taking blood for blood, which will continue. The government should expect more and even harder responses," the statement said.
Police said the attack began when the militants entered from a nearby building site, cutting barbed wire to get into the mosque compound. "One suicide bomber exploded himself in the verandah of the mosque while another was shot dead by police inside the main hall," Nasir Durrani, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief, told AFP. "The third was caught by people but was also killed later on."
Eyewitness Mohammad Khalil told AFP a "huge explosion" shook the main hall of the mosque as prayers were coming to an end, and then the gunmen started firing on worshippers.
Crackdown on militants TV footage in the immediate aftermath showed people running away from the scene, some carrying injured on their shoulders, others limping, as police fired shots and checked people at a barrier. The mosque is close to several government buildings including the offices of the Federal Investigation Agency and passport agency.