A suicide bomber fired his way towards the VIP lounge of the international airport in Islamabad on Tuesday night, injuring five security personnel before he was blown up in a grenade explosion in his hand.

Initial reports said that the bomber had aimed at Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz who flew in from Gwader, a small port in Balochistan province, about half an hour before the incident.

However, security officials said Aziz arrived at the nearby Chaklala airbase and the suicide attack was aimed spreading panic as it followed five such strikes in Islamabad and other parts of Pakistan in the last two weeks, security officials said.

Police officials said the well-armed bomber, who approached the entrance of the VIP Lounge of the airport, tried to force his way firing at the security personnel.

The bomber tried to hurl a grenade, which exploded at his feet, killing him on the spot.

Mohammed Afzal, a police officer, said the blast had damaged several cars. The wounded were admitted at a hospital, he said.

Pakistan had been hit by a series of suicide attacks allegedly by the Taliban in the last two weeks that left at least 18 people dead.

A bomber blew himself up at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on January 26, killing a guard while in another suicide attack next date at Peshawar killed 14 people, including six policemen.

One more policeman was killed by a bomber at a check post at tribal Dera Ismail Khan town on January 29 while two soldiers were killed in an attack by a suicide car bomber in Tank town on Saturday.