A suicide bomber arrested in Lahore was trained in Afghanistan, officials confirmed. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) made the arrest during a series of intelligence-based operations across Punjab. In total, CTD detained 11 terrorists in 166 raids in different cities.
According to the CTD spokesperson, these operations were conducted in Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Pakpattan, Gujrat, Chakwal, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, and Faisalabad. Each raid targeted suspected militants involved in terrorist activities.
Among the arrested was a dangerous terrorist from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He was caught in Mianwali with a large quantity of explosives. The CTD also seized detonators, extremist pamphlets, and cash from the suspects.
The captured terrorists were identified as Haider Sultan, Wali Rehman, Zubair, Amin, Akbar, Maqsood Khan, Umair, Zafar Iqbal, Ibrahim Qasmi, Mohibullah, and Saddam Hussain.
The arrest of suicide attacker Shamsullah in Lahore’s Burki area revealed even more alarming details. During the investigation, he admitted he was trained for suicide attacks in Afghanistan. His training was organized by commanders of the banned group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, identified as Sulaiman and Qasim Khorasani.
After completing his suicide bombing training, Shamsullah was sent to Pakistan through the Chaman border. The CTD spokesperson said Qasim Khorasani is also behind the targeted killings of police officers in Lahore and Police Lines Peshawar.
Shamsullah confessed that he was also made drug-dependent during the training process. His handler, known as Facilitator Ali, helped him hide in Lahore for three days. During that period, Ali provided him with a suicide vest.
CTD officials are continuing operations to track down and arrest Facilitator Ali. The arrest of this suicide bomber from Lahore came just days before a possible major attack.
Authorities say their actions have prevented a serious security threat. However, efforts are still underway to capture other facilitators and dismantle the network behind these terror plots.
