A mob of Muslims in northwestern Pakistan stormed a police station, kidnapped a man detained there and lynched him because of accusations that he desecrated the holy book of Islam – Koran, reported the Associated Press, quoted by BTA.
The attackers also set fire to the site in Madyan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and burned police vehicles parked there, local police official Rahim Ullah said.
Muhammad Ismail, who was killed, was a tourist who was staying at a hotel in the city when some locals attacked him and accused him of blasphemy.
Ullah said the police took the man into the precinct to protect him, but the crowd grew large and followed them. The mob then attacked the site, kidnapped Ismail, beat him to death, and then burned his body and left him on the road.
Additional police forces have arrived in Madyan to bring the situation under control, Ullah said.
It was not immediately known if any of the attackers were arrested.
Attacks against people accused of blasphemy are common in this conservative Islamic state, where blasphemy charges are punishable by the death penalty. International and national human rights groups say blasphemy charges are often used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores, the AP points out.