Heretofore Unheard of Group Claims Credit for Islamabad Blast

A group calling itself Fedayeen Islam has claimed credit for Saturday’s attack on the Islamabad Marriott Hotel.

Though the authenticity of the claim could not be verified, Al-Arabiya television reported a correspondent received a text message containing a phone number. When the number was called a recorded message took credit for the blast. The voice reportedly had a South Asian accent.

After the call, the station also received a video recording from the faction. Though the video itself is being kept confidential, the station said the recording claimed there were 250 US marines and several NATO officials at the hotel. The recording also reportedly issued several demands to Pakistan’s government, including demanding a halt to cooperation with the United States.

There appears to be no history of any organization with this name operating in Pakistan, and its unclear what positions they hold, where they are based, or whether they are related to any other of the myriad of militant organizations operating in Pakistan. There was, however, an Iranian militant faction using the same name operating in the mid-20th century. Whether this provides some clue as to the group’s leanings or is merely a coincidence is unclear, but updates will come as they are made available.