Pakistan Marriott blast shows signs of al-Qaida

Taliban militants based near the Afghan border and their al-Qaida allies are the most likely suspects behind a massive truck bombing at Islamabad’s Marriott Hotel, officials and experts said Sunday. At least 53 died in the explosion, including two U.S. Defense Department employees and the Czech ambassador.

The truck sat burning and disabled at the hotel gate for at least three-and-a-half minutes as guards tried to douse the flames before they, the truck and much of the hotel forecourt vanished in a fireball Saturday night, according to surveillance footage.

While no group has claimed responsibility, the scale of the blast and its high-profile target were seen by many as the signature of al-Qaida.

Brief by The Associated Press