Pakistan: Ten arrested after mob attack on global fast food chain in Karachi

Karachi [Pakistan], April 9 (ANI): Ten individuals were arrested by Police after a mob attacked a global fast food chain in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) of Pakistan's Karachi on Tuesday evening, the Dawn reported, citing the police.

According to Dawn, citing Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza, approximately 40 people, mainly young individuals armed with sticks and stones, stormed the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet on Korangi Road in the evening, attempting to vandalise the restaurant.

The police quickly intervened and dispersed the group, with 10 suspects taken into custody. DIG Raza explained that the attackers were protesting against the US and Israel's policies in Gaza and assured that the situation was now under control and that further action would be taken against the remaining protestors and their organisers, the Dawn reported.

Raza added that security measures at other KFC locations are being increased and that such incidents were part of a larger pattern across the Muslim world, especially in countries like Bangladesh, with social media fuelling the unrest.

In a related incident, reported by Dawn, another KFC outlet in Mohammad Ali Society in Karachi was attacked by a group of individuals during a rally on the same night.

According to Bahadurabad police Station House Officer Naveed Soomro, the attackers demanded the restaurant close and then damaged the premises with chairs, sticks, and stones. While an FIR was filed, no arrests were made in this case, as per Dawn.

This violence follows a strike in Karachi organised by traders to align with a global call for solidarity with Palestinians and to protest the actions in Gaza, which have led to a significant loss of life since October 7, 2023. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)