Hamid Mir failed attack claimed by Pakistani Taliban

Mr Mir was lucky to escape, police say

The Pakistani Taliban have said they were behind a failed attempt on Monday to kill one of Pakistan's best known television presenters, Hamid Mir.

Half a kilogram of explosives was found under Mr Mir's car outside his home in the capital, Islamabad.

Police say it was a remote-controlled bomb, but it failed to go off.

The Taliban threatened Mr Mir and other journalists for their coverage of the militants' shooting of schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai last month.

She and two other girls were injured but survived.

In a phone call to the BBC Urdu service, a Taliban spokesman said they would target Mr Mir, who works for Geo News, a Pakistani private television channel, and other journalists in the future.

He said Mr Mir was promoting secular values, and criticising the Taliban.

"We have advised journalists to be moderate," the spokesman said. "If they don't understand our advice, we send our explosives or suicide bombers."

Mr Mir has spoken of receiving other threats in the past, some from Pakistan's powerful security agencies, the BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad reports.

Pakistan was recently ranked the deadliest country in the world for journalists - for the second year running - by the press freedom group Reporters without Borders.