Pakistan’s interior minister says a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a police vehicle outside the gate of a district court in Islamabad on Tuesday, killing 12 people and wounding 27.

The attacker tried to "enter the court premises but, failing to do so, targeted a police vehicle,” Mohsin Naqvi, the interior minister, told reporters.

He did not blame any militant group but added that authorities are “looking into all aspects” of the attack. Naqvi said police investigators have confirmed the blast was caused by a suicide bomber.

"As I parked my car and entered the complex... I heard a loud bang at the gate," lawyer Rustam Malik said after the blast, which sent people fleeing and damaged vehicles in the area.

"It was complete chaos, lawyers and people were running inside the complex. I saw two dead bodies lying on the gate and several cars were on fire," said Malik, one of the witnesses who spoke to AFP.

Videos circulating on social media showed flames and thick plumes of smoke rising from the wreckage of a charred vehicle behind a security barrier following the blast, as reported by Dawn.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion. Pakistan has struggled with militant attacks and a resurgent Pakistani Taliban.

(With agency inputs)