Al-Qaeda, LeJ, TTP nexus broken in Karachi: ISPR

Lt-Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa says 97 high-value terrorists held; Hyderabad jailbreak plot to free Daniel Pearl murderer, Karachi corps commander attack case accused, others foiled

KARACHI: The Director General (DG) of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt-Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa, announced on Friday that a nexus between al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had been broken in Karachi and 97 high-value terrorists of the banned outfits were arrested.

Chairing a media briefing at the corps headquarters here, he said a Hyderabad jailbreak plot to free the killer of US journalist Daniel Pearl had been foiled in intelligence-based operations in the country.

The terrorists were involved in high-profile terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including attacks on the Kamra Airbase and Jinnah Terminal, as well as involved in high-profile killings, including that of SSP Ch Aslam Khan, he said.

The government had announced a reward of Rs20 million for the arrest of Naeem Bukhari, Rs15 million for Mohammad Farooq alias Mussana and Rs5 million for Sabir Khan alias Munna.

The terrorists were also planning to attack the Hyderabad Central Prison to release their leaders, including US journalist Daniel Pearl’s killer Khalid Umer Shaikh, but the plot was foiled by the armed forces and an intelligence agency.

Lt-Gen Bajwa said the armed forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the Latifabad area of Hyderabad Range, and after facing resistance arrested wanted terrorists Ataur Rehman alias Naeem Bukhari (LeJ Sindh Ameer), Sabir Khan alias Munna (LeJ Karachi Ameer) and Farooq Bhatti alias Musanaal-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent) besides six suicide bombers, including foreigners.

During the search of their hideout, the security officials seized a huge cache of explosives, vehicle-based improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which were to be used for carrying out an attack on the Central Prison Hyderabad and transporting the terrorists and exploding the jail wall, backpacks for ammunition, ration, medicines, police uniforms for deception, cellphones, laptops and EVO devices for clandestine communication.

The other articles seized were 350 kilograms of explosive and chemicals, weapons which the terrorists had transported from upcountry via train cargo services by concealing it inside washing machines, steel balls for suicidal jackets, explosive grinding machine, SMGs snatched from police, IEDs, detonating cord and loaded magazines.

The ISPR DG added that the terrorists had also prepared a map of the Hyderabad jail with the help of a jail police official. The plan was to release Khalid Umer Shaikh of al-Qaeda who was involved in Daniel Pearl’s murder, Shahzad Ahmed who was involved in the corps commander attack case and over 100 other prisoners, besides killing inmates.

According to the plan, he said, the terrorists wanted to attack the Hyderabad jail from two sides; first they intended to attack the main gate with a vehicle-based IED and then hit the main wall and lead an attack on Prisoner Barrack-I and Prisoners Barrack-II where the wanted terrorists, including the abovementioned prisoners, were kept.

Moreover, they had rented a house from where they had been arrested and to generate funds they were also doing a business of plastics. Twelve facilitators who took instructions from Mussana were also arrested, while Mussana received directions from Naeem Bukhari.

The facilitators included a person who rented a godown, had expertise in making vehicle-based IEDs, handling suicide bombers and making IEDs, weapons suppliers and those who sheltered terrorists.

The ISPR DG said the arrested terrorists were also involved in the Kamra Airbase attack and the mastermind of the attack was Hassan Gul alias Ahmed (AQIS Ameer) who was killed in 2013, and Farooq alias Musanna planned the attack.

He added that they had also arrested the facilitators, including Daud, who did recce, Jamshed who rented the house, Faiz a facilitator killed in 2014, Imran who logistically supported the terrorists, Mateen who procured and rented a house, and also killed all the nine suicide bombers.

Naeem Bukhari was a planner while Musanna was the main facilitator of the Karachi airport attack. The security forces had killed Abdul Mateen last year, 10 suicide bombers and Jono who provided SIMs. However, one facilitator, Irshadullah, is still at large, he said.

Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa said the planner of the attack on SSP Chaudhry Aslam was Commander Atif (Ameer Askari Ameer AQIS, Afghanistan), the mastermind was Musanna, while the facilitator was Naeem Bukhari, who provided Rs0.5 million to the attackers.

In the case, Abdul Mateen was killed last year in an intelligence-based operation, who handed over the vehicle to the suicide bomber, Naeemullah. Amin alias Umer who had purchased the vehicle and prepared a vehicle-based IED was also killed last year. However, Huzaifa is still at large in the case.

The ISPR DG said the major terror attacks included attacks on Manawan police centre, the ISI headquarters in Lahore and Multan and the FIA building in 2009, the attacks on the Mehran Naval Base and naval buses in 2011, Kamra Airbase attack in 2012, the attack on the ISI Headquarters in Sukkur 2013, the attack on the Karachi airport, an attempt to attack the Karachi central jail, the assassination of Chaudhry Aslam in 2014.

He added that terrorist hideouts had been wiped out by Operation Zarb-e-Azb and several peace initiatives had been started in the region as a result of the operation. Moreover, 12,210 arrests were made as a result of the operation.

  Lt-Gen Bajwa said there was also a significant decline in terror acts, target killings declined by 69 percent, there was also a decrease by 85 percent in incidents of extortion and a 90 percent decline in kidnappings for ransom.

He said the Karachi operation was started when street crimes, kidnappings, extortion were at peak, and the Rangers conducted some 7,000 operations, resulting in a significant decline in crimes in Karachi.

The ISPR chief said that over 9,000 weapons were seized in operations, and 94 hardcore terrorists were arrested, including AQIS and LeJ terrorists involved in major terror incidents in Karachi and three high-value targets.

He added that AQIS and LeJ had a nexus of terrorism, with operatives and financiers and they both worked jointly with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. These terrorists carried out attacks from 2009 till 2015, attacked the ISI office, the Mehran Base, the Karachi airport. SSP Ch Aslam was assassinated by the same group.