At least eight people, including three police personnel, were killed while another 27 injured when an alleged suicide bomber blew himself up inside a district court’s compound in Shabqadar Bazaar of Charsadda district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday.

A suicide bomber was attempting to enter a district court as a security personnel, identified as Shabbir, intercepted him outside the court’s premises which prompted him to blow himself up, Charsadda District Police Officer Sohail Khalid said.

Saeed Wazir, another police official, said that the attacker targeted the court building in the town of Shabqadar. “The suicide bomber was trying to enter the judicial complex and he blew himself up when the police stopped him,” said Wazir.

Eyewitnesses described a huge explosion at the scene. “We were sitting with a lawyer when a huge explosion took place in the sessions court,” said Gohar Khan, a local police official who was at the scene.

“The army and other law-enforcement agencies have arrived and cordoned off the area. The injured are being shifted to nearby hospitals,” he added.

Security officials and rescue teams were dispatched to the scene while a search operation is underway in the area.

Television footage showed widespread damage and the charred remains of at least two vehicles at the scene.

Shabqadar, located about 150 kilometres northwest of Islamabad, is adjacent to the Mohmand tribal area, which has seen several attacks in recent days.(Agencies)