A suicide bombing during Friday prayers at the Darul Uloom Haqqania religious institution in Akora Khattak, Nowshera, killed at least six people, including Hamid-ul-Haq, a prominent religious-political leader. Over 20 others were injured in the attack, which occurred as worshippers gathered to greet Haq. Authorities suspect he was the intended target. Emergency measures were enacted across Nowshera and Peshawar, and national leaders condemned the attack. The Afghan Taliban also denounced the bombing, blaming the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) for the assault. Haq, who led a faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, had ties to the Afghan Taliban through religious diplomacy. He was the son of Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, known as the "Father of the Taliban," who was assassinated in 2018. The bombing highlights Pakistan’s escalating security crisis, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where militancy has surged. In 2024, Pakistan recorded its deadliest year in a decade, with over 1,600 fatalities linked to terrorist attacks. The attack underscores the country’s ongoing struggle with cross-border militancy, with Islamabad accusing Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of harboring extremist groups—an allegation they deny.

Shortly before 4 p.m. local time a 37-year-old Algerian national carried out a knife attack in the eastern city of Mulhouse, leaving one person dead and two police officers seriously injured. The assailant, who was on a terrorism watch list and subject to a deportation order, reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he stabbed and wounded two police officers—one in the neck and another in the chest—and fatally stabbed a civilian who attempted to intervene. Authorities have launched a terrorist investigation into the attack, which took place during a demonstration in support of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At around 4 p.m. local time, a 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker stabbed four people in the main square of the southern city of Villach. A 14-year-old was killed, and five others were injured, two seriously. Initially, police described the incident as a “random attack,” despite some witnesses claiming the attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar.” However, a day later, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stated that the incident was an Islamist attack, explaining that the suspect had been radicalized online in a short period and had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. A 42-year-old Syrian food delivery driver witnessed the attack and intervened by driving his car toward the suspect, preventing further casualties. The far-right Freedom Party, which won the 2024 national elections and has been pushing for stricter immigration policies, is likely to use the attack to advance its agenda.

At least 11 people were killed and six others injured when a roadside bomb struck a truck carrying coal miners in the southwestern Harnai area of Balochistan province. According to a paramilitary official, the improvised explosive device (IED) was planted along the roadside and remotely detonated as the truck transporting the miners passed by. Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), known for targeting security forces and mining workers, has been behind most recent attacks. The BLA’s Majeed Brigade has links with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), and the East Turkistan Islamic Party (ETIM/TIP), according to a recent UN report. Balochistan, a mineral-rich province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been plagued by a separatist insurgency led by ethnic Baloch groups and Islamist militants who also operate in the region.

Security personnel identified and neutralized a suicide bomber who attempted to enter the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing in the capital, Kabul. However, the ensuing explosion resulted in the death of one individual and injuries to three security guards. Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) continues to carry out attacks, including suicide bombings, across the country. The incident follows a recent suicide bombing in Kunduz province, where at least five people were killed near a bank—an attack later claimed by the Islamic State group.