Interrogation leads to second FIR in airport suicide attack case

Another case has been registered at the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) police station against the masterminds of the recent Karachi airport attack as well as key commanders of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

The case was filed under the charges of murder, attempted murder, use of explosive materials and terror financing. The FIR No 157/24 was registered following the interrogation of arrested suspect Javed Baloch whose revelations led to the inclusion of BLA commander Bashir Ahmed Baloch, alias Sher Zaib, and Abdul Rehman Gul as key suspects.

The case was registered on the complaint of Airport Police Station SHO Inspector Kaleem Khan Moosa under the sections 302, 324, 353, 186, 427 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with the Section 3/4 of the Explosives Substances Act 1908, and the Sections 7, 11-F and 21-I of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

According to the contents of the FIR, CTD officials stated that during the investigation into the suicide attack near the Karachi airport that targeted a convoy of Chineseengineers, CTD Inspector Umar Farooq, who was investigating the FIR No 142/24, interrogated arrested suspect Javed Baloch. During the interrogation, Javed confessed that facilitation of the airport explosion and its financing were carried out by the banned BLA’s Majeed Brigade.

The suspect revealed that the planning and execution of the terrorist act were orchestrated by BLA’s top masterminds Bashir and Gul who played a pivotal role in ensuring the completion of the operation.

Following investigations and revelations by the arrested suspect, senior officials included the masterminds of the airport attack in the case for their alleged involvement in aiding the crime.

Funding for the attack was arranged via a private bank’s branch in Hub Chowki, Balochistan. The funds were used to purchase a vehicle for the explosion. The vehicle, a Vigo with the registration number KN-0375, was bought on September 3 for Rs7.1 million from Al-Haram Automobiles on Khalid Bin Waleed Road, Karachi.

The initial payment of Rs10,000 was made in advance, and the remaining amount was transferred through a fraudulent arrangement involving the bank’s employees and accounts. The bank account of Saeed Ali Traders was reportedly used for the transactions.

The purchased vehicle was registered in the buyer's name on September 5 through the excise and taxation department, after which explosive materials were installed as per BLA directives.

Shah Fahad, the suicide bomber involved in the attack, was facilitated by Bashir, Gul and others. Another suspect, Bilal, a business development officer at the bank, along with Saeed Ali and other unidentified individuals, played critical roles in the planning and execution.

A second case was registered based on revelations from Javed’s interrogation. Investigators are also interrogating a female suspect, Gul Nisa Baloch, in connection with the incident. The CTD’s investigation highlighted a detailed financial trail and operational planning behind the terrorist attack, underscoring the involvement of key members of the BLA and their network.

It should be noted here that the Sindh home department formed a joint investigation team (JIT) to interrogate the suspects arrested in connection with the Karachi airport attack on Chinese nationals that took place on October 6. The deputy inspector general (DIG) of the CTD, Asif Ejaz Shaikh, was appointed as the chairman of the JIT.

Javed and Nisa were arrested in connection with the suicide attack on Chinese nationals, killing three people, including two Chinese nationals, and injuring several others. The suicide bomber rammed his double cabin vehicle to a van carrying Chinese engineers on the airport signal. According to the bomb disposal squad’s report, around 80 kilogrammes of explosive material was used in the attack.