The imam of a mosque was killed by unknown men during Isha prayers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s district Lakki Marwat on Monday.

The imam, named Maulana Sanaullah Khan, was pulled out of the mosque during the prayer and shot to death. The incident occurred in the Haji Salar Khan mosque in Lakki Marwat’s Darra Peezu area.

According to local sources, there were four assailants involved in the attack.

Khan was a resident of Pahar Khel, Pacca Teh Ghazni Khel in Lakki Marwat. In addition to leading prayers at the mosque, he taught English at the local school and led the local aman committee.

The incident came hours after another similar attack in Manjiwala in Lakki Marwat, where a Tehreek-e-Taliban associate was killed after he tried to kidnap a security official from a mosque. Locals reacted to the kidnapping attempt by killing the TTP militant, while a father and son were injured in the exchange of fire. According to security officials, TTP has increased their attacks on locals and people who are demanding peace and prosperity in the area.

However, TTP through their encrypted channels has denied their involvement in the killing of the Imam.