BOMB EXPLODES INSIDE HYDERABAD MECCA MASJID: 16 KILLED DURING FRIDAY PRAYERS
Pipe Bomb Detonates Near Ablution Area; Police Open Fire on Fleeing Crowd Killing Five
On 18 May 2007, a massive cellphone-triggered pipe bomb exploded inside the historic Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad during Friday prayers attended by over 10,000 worshippers.
Nine people were killed instantly. As panic erupted, police opened fire on the agitated crowds outside Charminar, killing another five civilians.
Two more unexploded IEDs were later detected and defused near the pulpit, highlighting serious security frisking failures at historic monuments.
📌 Key Figures & Decision Makers
- ▸ Shivraj Patil
- ▸ Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy (Chief Minister, AP)
- • Justice Bhaskar Rao Commission of Inquiry Report (Government of Andhra Pradesh, 2010)