TTP man planning attack on Orangi Muharram procession arrested: CTD

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Sindh police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested a member of the terrorist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who was planning a suicide attack on a Muharram procession in Orangi Town.

TTP Dara Adam Khel commander Shoaib’s arrest was disclosed during a press conference at the CTD office, where DIG Asif Aijaz Shaikh informed the media that the suspect was involved in kidnappings for ransom and attacks on military convoys.

The CTD officer said the suspect is accused of kidnapping 16 people, and burying them in a mass grave after he did not receive the ransom. He said the suspect had admitted to planning a suicide attack with his accomplices on a Muharram procession in Orangi Town. They also intended to hurl hand grenades to raise the number of casualties and cause widespread destruction in the city, he added.

DIG Shaikh said the suspect had been planning the operation with his relative Ishaq, who was also involved in heinous cases and is currently a fugitive. He said Ishaq was tasked with gathering the necessary resources, following which he and Shoaib were to execute the plan. Explosive materials and items used in making suicide jackets were also recovered from Shoaib, he added.

“Today’s operation was significant. While security concerns remain, there are no specific location-based threats. General threats exist. If a bomb explosion had occurred under such circumstances, it would have caused widespread panic and disrupted law and order. The CTD and other agencies are working, which is why there is peace.”

Khurram Waris, incharge of the LeJ wing of the CTD’s investigation, mentioned in a media conversation that Shoaib’s son Zakaullah was killed with his accomplices in a shoot-out with security agencies. Waris said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had announced a two-million-rupee reward for Shoaib, adding that the search for his accomplices is still under way.

DSP murder case

Talking about the DSP Ali Raza murder case, CTD officials said the officer had been provided with security but he did not keep the security personnel with him.

They said that although there has been progress in the case, further details cannot be shared with the media at present. There has also been progress in the case of the attack on foreigners in Landhi, with two attackers having been killed, and the search for their facilitators still underway, they added.