ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: An armed man who tried to force his way to the VIP lounge at the Islamabad airport died on Tuesday when a grenade he was carrying exploded during an exchange of fire with security personnel.

At least three personnel of the Airport Security Force (ASF) and police were injured in the firing and the explosion. The condition of one of the ASF personnel was said to be critical.

Initially it was considered to be a case of suicide bombing, but a senior police official was reluctant to describe it as such.

Though most officials thought it was another suicide attack to create harassment and panic, DIG Murrawat Hussain Shah was a bit sceptical.

He told reporters outside the closed gates of the airport that the attacker was killed when the grenade he was carrying fell off from his hand and exploded.

However, this version of the incident was disputed by other official, who described it as a suicide bombing.

Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao told journalists the suspect and two of his accomplices tried to drive their car towards the VIP lounge of the airport and started shooting when personnel of the Airport Security Force (ASF) stopped them at a check-point.

“As the vehicle was prevented from going towards the main building, a man stepped out of the car and first started firing and later threw a grenade.”

The security officials fired in retaliation, forcing the man to retreat towards one of the outer gates.

Sensing that he had been surrounded from all sides, he blew himself up with a hand grenade, the officials said.

Tuesday’s incident was the latest in a string of violent attacks over the past fortnight in the country, and the second in Islamabad after the Marriot attack on Jan 26. Officials found the incident the most troubling as the suspects almost succeeded in dodging the security cordon at one of the most important international airports in the country.

What made the attack ominous was that it occurred shortly after Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz returned from Gwadar on a special flight. Although Mr Aziz used the terminal on the Chaklala side of the airport that has been dedicated to VVIP movement, some officials said only a thorough investigation would reveal the real motives of the assailants.

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT: According to officials and eyewitnesses, the firefight started at the first ASF check-point guarding the VIP lounge. As a light-green 1973 Corona tried to make its way through the scanner and searchlights, ASF official Zulfiqar Sumbul tried to stop the two men in the car.

The suspect, who was sitting beside the driver, apparently took fright. He immediately stepped out of the vehicle and opened fire.

Panic gripped the airport as people started running for shelter. More ASF personnel moved in, shutting down the entrance to all the lounges.

Soon afterwards, the man pulled out a grenade from a bag he had been carrying, lobbing it at security officials. He then made a desperate attempt to take cover behind one of the parked cars. But soon after, another grenade fell off his bag, killing him instantly.

Officials were unable to establish the identity of the suspect, whose body was lying at the place till the filing of this report. Eyewitnesses said police had whisked away a bearded man from the parking lot, but it was not clear if he too was a suspect.