Suicide bomber killed in blast near Shiite mosque

(29 Feb 2004) 1. Crowds outside of mosque 2. Man cleaning floor with police looking on 3. Bags next to entrance 4. Police with bags 5. Body being loaded into ambulance 6. Soldier looking on 7. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Witness (No name given): "When we were busy in prayer, the bomber entered the mosque with weapons on his body. When the blast happened, four people were injured and the bomber died on the spot." 8. Exterior of mosque 9. Exterior of hospital STORYLINE: A suicide bomber on Saturday blew himself up near a Shiite mosque in Rawalpindi, a city adjacent to the Pakistani capital. The bomb exploded prematurely, killing the attacker and injuring two people, police said. The attack coincided with Muharram, which starts in March and marks a month when Shiites mourn the seventh-century death of Hussein, grandson of Islam's prophet, Muhammad. Pakistani authorities also stepped up security at airports nationwide to the highest level on Saturday in anticipation of the holiday. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...