CTD claims arresting two would-be suicide bombers

PESHAWAR: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Friday claimed to have arrested two would-be suicide bombers sent to attack two senior politicians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Aimal Wali Khan.

An official of the CTD told reporters that both the terrorists were arrested during two separate operations on the outskirts of the provincial capital. He said two suicide jackets, hand grenades, 9mm pistols and terrorism-related literature were recovered from them.

“One was arrested during an operation on the outskirts of Peshawar while the other terrorist was held near the Achini village. Two suicide jackets were recovered from a hideout on the boundary with a tribal district that have been defused by the bomb disposal experts,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) CTD Najmul Hasnain told the media.

He said the CTD teams also recovered hand grenades, pistols and terrorism related literature from their custody.

The held terrorists were identified as Adil Khan from Matani and Tahir Khan, a resident of Landikotal. The official said the arrested terrorists were members of Daesh and were trained across the border in Paktia, Afghanistan, in June 2023.

“They had planned to carry out attacks on senior politicians,” the official said, adding the held terrorists had visited the Mufti Mahmood Markaz in Peshawar a few times to know about the routes and schedule of politicians.

The authorities had last month alerted the police across the country to improve the security of two senior politicians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after reports of threats to their lives. In the threat alert, the chief secretaries and police chiefs of the provinces were directed to take adequate measures for the security of chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Maulana Fazlur Rehman and provincial president of the Awami National Party Aimal Wali Khan.