Hindu temple vandalized in Pak, Hindu families saved by Muslims from angry attackers
Karachi: A Hindu temple in Pakistan's Sindh province was vandalized by an angry mob that also attempted to attack over 300 Hindu families but were stopped by Muslims from entering the century-old neighborhood, a media report said on Wednesday.
The incident took place on Sunday in Sheetal Das compound, housing 300 Hindu and 30 Muslim families.
Residents of the neighborhood said that scores of men had assembled outside the compound's only gate and many of them intended to attack the Hindu families.
However, the Muslim families, residing in and around the compound, were quick to reach the gate and stop the mob from entering the area.
"Police, too, reached the spot within a few minutes after they were informed," a Hindu man, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune.
Another Hindu man said: "Some of the angry men had managed to reach the temple and tried to vandalize it".
They wanted to attack the compound's Hindu families, but the police foiled their attempt. However, other eyewitnesses, said that three pre-partition idols were destroyed during the episode, the report said.
"I never felt that fearful," said a teary-eyed resident, while sharing the ordeal.
An official from the police also confirmed that it was the Muslim families of the area whose resilience stopped the mob attack on the minority Hindu community.
"Had it not been for the Muslim families, it would have been very difficult to thwart the attack," said the senior police official.
Following the incident, over 60 Hindu families had shifted to other areas of the city by Tuesday.
"The fear still lingers and the people have left their homes and shifted women and children to locations they deem safe," said a resident.
One of the elders from the Hindu community, who has lived all his life in that compound, said that he "had never seen an attack of the sort as the one he witnessed on Sunday".
Hindus form almost two percent of the 220 million population in Muslim-majority Pakistan. Most of the Hindus live in Sindh province.
They often complain of harassment by the extremists.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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