Election rally blast culprit identified

The perpetrator of one of Pakistan's worst ever suicide bombings has been identified as a jihadist who spent at least two years fighting against foreign troops in Afghanistan, authorities said Thursday.

Last week's attack killed at least 149 people and was the latest in a series of deadly blasts at various election campaign events ahead of national polls on July 25.

A DNA test on the attacker's hand, found at the scene of the blast, identified the bomber as Pakistani national Hafeez Nawaz, authorities told reporters in provincial capital Quetta.

Nawaz's family "confirmed their son had been in Afghanistan for the last two years to wage jihad against the international coalition" backing the Afghan government, senior counterterrorism official Aitzaz Goraya said.