KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — The Latest on the attack on the Chinese Consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi (all times local):
11:35 a.m.
Pakistani officials say three gunmen who stormed the Chinese Consulate in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi are dead, after an intense shootout during which two police officers were killed by the attackers.
Senior police official Ameer Ahmad Sheikh says all the Chinese diplomats and staff at the consulate were safe and were not harmed during the assault or the shootout onFriday.
The Baluch Liberation Army, a separatist group based in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, claimed responsibility for the attack and released photos of the three attackers.
Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, has a militant presence.
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10:35 a.m.
Pakistani police say gunmen have stormed the Chinese Consulate in the country's southern port city of Karachi, triggering an intense shootout during which two police officers were killed.
Smoke is rising from the building as the shootout continues.
Mohammad Ashfaq, a local police chief, says more than two attackers stormed the consulate on Friday. He says security forces have surrounded the area. Local TV shows smoke rising from the building, which is also the residence of Chinese diplomats and other staff.
Authorities say the attackers first opened fire at consulate guards and then managed to breach the main gate and enter the building.
Ashfaq says security forces are trying to bring the situation under control but the shootout continues. Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province, has a militant presence.
