Pakistani police charge 23 people with being part of a mob that murdered a blasphemy suspect

By RIAZ KHAN
Associated Press

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Police in Pakistan have arrested 23 people accused of being part of a mob that killed a man suspected of desecrating the Quran, Islam’s holy book. The suspects were charged with murder and burning a police station in Madyan, a tourist destination in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan, where the mob killed the man on Thursday and burned his body. Police said Monday that more raids are underway. Blasphemy accusations are common in Pakistan. Under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic religious figures can be sentenced to death.