How KP police traced bomber’s facilitator from own ranks

ISLAMABAD: Following the tragic suicide attack at the Peshawar Police Lines mosque in January last year, which claimed over 100 lives, investigators launched a multi-faceted probe, delving into past cases and tracking down leads related to known operatives.

One of their early approaches involved reviewing previous suicide attacks and interviewing relatives of past bombers to potentially uncover any connections.

This led them to Imtiaz, known as Taura Shippa, whose brother had also been a suicide bomber and whose uncle was a Taliban commander. Imtiaz, an Afghan national, revealed that he was acquainted with the bomber and had even met him in Afghanistan. He also stated that he was in contact with the bomber when he crossed into Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the investigative team began focusing on the potential involvement of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a group with leadership primarily rooted in a specific ethnic background. With this theory in mind, police hypothesised that the attack could have involved an insider from the police and compiled a list of police personnel sharing similar ethnic ties with the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar leadership. Imtiaz pointed to an individual he believed was involved in transporting bombers around Peshawar, identifying him only by the name “Irfan Shinwari,” as the suspect always wore a mask and helmet.

Further investigation soon confirmed suspicions. The man known as Irfan was discovered to be Muhammad Wali, a police constable linked to other terror-related incidents.

In custody, Wali confessed to his role in the Police Lines attack, providing details that police corroborated through Call Data Records (CDR) and CCTV footage from the day of the bombing, as well as evidence of communication with militants dating back to 2021.

On Monday evening, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s police chief held a press conference where he detailed the arrest and confession of Muhammad Wali, who admitted to facilitating numerous terrorist attacks, including the Police Lines blast. Wali disclosed in a confessional video that he was paid Rs200,000 for his role in that specific incident. Additionally, he revealed that he received a monthly retainership of around Rs50,000 from the militant organisation, establishing his ongoing support for their operations. This case underscores the extent of infiltration within the police force and highlights the financial incentives offered to insiders by militant groups.

Authorities are now confident that they have gathered robust evidence for court proceedings, aiming for successful prosecution based on the suspect’s confession and corroborating material.