Pakistani authorities have arrested scores of people in response to a string of mob attacks on KFC restaurants.

The crowds are targeting the US chicken chain because they view it as linked to the US government's support for Israel's military campaign in Gaza. 

What do we know so far? 

Pakistani officials have said this week that as many as 178 people have been taken into custody over the attacks. Incidents have been reported in major cities such as Karachi, the capital Islamabad, and Lahore.  

"A total of 20 incidents occurred across Pakistan with one fatality reported. The man was a staff member at KFC," Pakistani Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told journalists on Saturday.    

A worker at a KFC branch in the outskirts of Lahore, the capital of the Punjab Province, was killed by a gunman this week, though it is unclear whether that killing was linked to anti-Israel protests.  

Chaudhry said 145 people were arrested in Punjab province and 15 were detained in Islamabad in connection with the mob attacks. 

"These franchises invest over $100 million (€88 million) in Pakistan, employ more than 25,000 people, pay 100% taxes and buy from local vendors," Chaudhry said. "The entire profit stays in Pakistan. What excuse is there for such attacks?" 

Yum! Brands, which owns KFC, has not yet commented on the attacks. 

Security ramped up as Islamist party denies responsibility

Security is being ramped up at KFC restaurants in Pakistan, particularly in Lahore.

Lahore police said a member of the Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) was among those arrested in the crackdown.  However, the TLP said it has not called for protests outside KFC restaurants.    

Many people in Muslim-majority Pakistan have felt sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza as Israel blocks humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Israel started its military campaign in Gaza after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Israel insists that it is targeting Hamas, but UN officials and humanitarian groups such as Doctors without Borders have criticized Israel's actions in Gaza as amounting to "collective punishment" of Palestinians.  

Edited by: Darko Janjevic