CTD foils major terror plot, arrests 15 militants across Punjab

LAHORE: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has foiled a major terrorist plot by arresting 15 militants belonging to a banned organisation during operations in various parts of Punjab.

Among those arrested, an extremely dangerous terrorist affiliated with Fitna-ul-Khawarij was apprehended in Lahore along with explosives.

According to a CTD spokesperson, the department conducted 143 intelligence-based operations across different districts to prevent potential terrorist activities.

During these operations, 142 suspects were interrogated, and 15 terrorists were taken into custody along with weapons, explosives, and other prohibited materials.

The arrested individuals include Mudassar Khan, Sajjad Ahmed, Ashiq, Ajmal Khan, Ijaz, Isa Khan, and others. The spokesperson said that the militants were linked to Fitna-ul-Khawarij and other extremist organisations. They were arrested during intelligence-based operations in Lahore, Sialkot, Gujrat, Attock, Sargodha, Bahawalpur, Jhang, Mianwali, and Chiniot.

Authorities recovered 430 grams of explosives, six detonators, 18 feet of safety fuse wire, one improvised explosive device (IED), 75 pamphlets of the banned organisation, a magazine, and Rs14,350 in cash from the suspects.

The spokesperson said that the militants had planned to target key buildings in Lahore and other cities. He said that 15 cases have been registered against the arrested terrorists, and further investigations are underway.

Additionally, during the past week, 1,498 combing operations were conducted in collaboration with local police and security agencies. A total of 64,511 individuals were screened, leading to the arrest of 556 suspects. Authorities registered 387 FIRs and made 404 recoveries.