Fayaz Aziz/Reuters
Several suspects have been arrested in the brutal killing of a Pakistani student beaten to death Thursday over accusations he’d shared “blasphemous” content on social media. The student, identified as Mashal Khan, was stripped naked by a lynch mob of fellow students at Abdul Wali Khan University and beaten with planks in an attack that was caught on video. Mardan's Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Mohammad Alam Shinwari said Saturday Khan’s attackers had been preparing to burn his body when police intervened. Video shows about 10 students shouting “Allahu Akbar!” as they attacked Khan, who was also reportedly shot and thrown from the second floor of his hostel during the attack. The suspects face charges of murder and terrorism. While police are conducting an investigation into the incident, Pakistani authorities have so far been unsuccessful in rooting out violence over allegations of blasphemy. Even unproven accusations of blasphemy can be fatal in the predominantly Muslim country, and several people die every year in connection with such allegations. In Khan's case, police said Saturday that no evidence of blasphemy has been found.