Gunmen attacked the Pearl Continental hotel in Peshawar before setting off a bomb that killed at least 11 -people and wounded many more, Pakistani officials said last night.

Early reports suggested the bombing was the latest in a series of attacks over the past year by militants against state buildings and targets frequented by foreigners and the country's secular elite. It was not immediately clear if the bombing was a suicide attack or a device planted near the hotel's lobby. The blast left a crater just outside the entrance.