Two eyewitnesses pick out KPO terror attack suspect

Two eyewitnesses have identified a suspect during an identification parade before a court in a case pertaining to last month’s deadly attack on the Karachi Police Office (KPO).

The investigating officer produced Abdul Aziz alias Mohammad Ali, said to be affiliated with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), before the judicial magistrate (South) for his identification parade. The suspect was lined up along with dummies when two eyewitnesses rightly picked him out as the one involved in the attack. Aziz, along with an accomplice, Mehran alias Meharban, was arrested after an encounter on the outskirts of the metropolis last week, while two others, said to be masterminds of the attack, were shot dead in an exchange of fire with the police. Both the held suspects are in the custody of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on physical remand.

According to Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) investigation in-charge Mazhar Mashwani, Aziz is the main suspect, who purchased the car used for the transportation of the attackers to the KPO.

On March 13, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, flanked by senior CTD officials, had announced that two masterminds of the attack on the KPO had been killed in a shootout with the CTD team in the Mai Ghari area in Manghopir, while their two accomplices surrendered themselves. The killed men were identified as Aryadullah alias Hasan and Waheedullah alias Khalid alias Huzaifa.

On the evening of February 17, three militants wearing suicide jackets and carrying sophisticated weapons entered the KPO. In the ensuing operation, two of them were killed by the police and one blew himself up.

Four, including two policemen and a Sindh Rangers sub-inspector, embraced martyrdom and 18 others, mostly police and Rangers’ personnel, were injured in the terror attack. The hours-long joint operation carried out by the police, Rangers and army personnel cleared the heavily-guarded office of the Karachi police situated in the heart of the city.