Arrested terrorists were planning to attack CPEC projects: police

MANSEHRA: The five terrorists who were arrested in a joint operation by the law-enforcement agencies here on Tuesday were planning to attack the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the district, said an official on Wednesday.

The arrested terrorists, who were wanted by the police in connection with an earlier attack on a non-governmental organisation, World Vision, and other subversive activities, had been planning to target CPEC projects, Zaibullah Khan, district police officer, told a news conference in Mansehra.

Superintendents of Police (Investigation) Arif Javed and Superintendent of Police (Operations) Mukhtar Khan were also present on the occasion. The terrorists were produced blindfolded before the members of the media at the news conference.

The DPO said that details of the planned attack on CPEC projects couldn t be shared with the media at the time of the terrorists arrests due to the sensitivity of the case. Mohammad Talha and Tayyab Shah, stated to be high profile terrorists, and their three accomplices, Ahmad Shah, Aizaz Shah and Salahuddin, were arrested in the joint operation.

DPO Zaibullah Khan said that the terrorists, who were arrested from a village near Baffa, had planned and executed an attack on the NGO, World Vision, in Dogai area in Mansehra in 2010. He added that eight staffers, including four women, of World Vision were killed in the attack.

The terrorists belonged to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and were also wanted in connection with the attack on an army convoy in Shinkiari, an assault on an imambargah in Balakot and targetted attack on the police in different parts of the district. They were also involved in target killings, the police officer said.

He explained that the detained terrorists were experts in making and exploding improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and had received training in Waziristan. These terrorists also detonated explosives to hit CD shops. They were also involved in target killings in Mansehra and Torghar districts, he added. Meanwhile, the law-enforcement agencies have enhanced security of the projects being executed under CPEC after the incident.