Militant linked to APS attack arrested, says ISPR

PESHAWAR: Security forces claimed to have arrested a key perpetrator of the Army Public School (APS) terrorist attack during an operation in the Pawaki village in the limits of the Pishtakhara Police Station on Monday.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the arrest of 27-year-old Taj Mohammad from Pawaki. It said that he was the commander of one of the two groups that carried out the APS attack.
The militant is said to be a resident of the neighbouring Khyber Agency. He was living as an internally displaced person in Pawaki.Officials said the militant had confessed to his involvement in a number of terror attacks.
Up to 154 people, mostly children, were killed in an attack on the Army Public School on December 16, last year. There were unconfirmed reports that another militant, who carried the head money of Rs500,000, was also arrested during an action the other day. No official, however, confirmed the report.
APP adds: Terrorist Taj Muhammad alias Rizwan, one of the main executors of the Army Public School (APS) attack, has been arrested by security forces in an intelligence based operation. The 27-year-old Taj Muhammad is a resident of Sippah, Koi Chowk, Bara Khyber. The other terrorist group was being led by Atiqur Rehman alias Usman who had already been apprehended by security forces, said an ISPR press release.