‘TTP man whose shrine bombing plan was foiled held’

A wanted terrorist associated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been arrested in Karachi, the spokesperson for the paramilitary Rangers revealed on Saturday. The arrest was made in Ittehad Town area by the Rangers in collaboration with the police on the basis of intelligence information.

The arrested suspect was identified as Abdul Ghaffar (aliases Amjad and Irfan), who is associated with the TTP and is a close aide of TTP commander Muhammad Ali, alias Mufti Khalid. The Rangers spokesperson also claimed that the soldiers recovered explosive material from the suspect’s possession.

The spokesperson claimed that the arrested suspect has revealed that he had planned a suicide attack at the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi in October 2011, along with his associates, including Mufti Khalid and Daud, alias Waleed.

The plan involved five suicide bombers. The others were Abu Saleh, whose spouse is associated with Chechnya; Dawood, alias Hassan, associated with Azerbaijan; and Shoaib and Atiq, both associated with Karachi. They had arrived in Karachi via Waziristan.

During the investigation, the suspect disclosed that he was heading towards the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi with other suicide bombers when the police signalled them to stop.

Upon refusing to stop, an exchange of gunfire occurred between the police and the suspects. In response, the suspect and his accomplices detonated the suicide jackets. Two police officers were martyred in the explosion, while the suspect Abdul Ghaffar managed to escape and went underground in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Rangers spokesperson said that the arrested militant had come to Karachi with the intention of organising a terrorist network, adding that raids were being conducted to apprehend the suspect’s other accomplices. The suspect has been handed over to the police for further action, along with the explosive materials recovered.

The public has been urged to immediately report information about such elements to the nearest Rangers checkpoint, the Rangers helpline 1101 or the Rangers WhatsApp number 0347-9001111. The informant’s identity will be kept confidential.