Alleged killer of Mufti Shamzai arrested

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Sindh police on Monday claimed to have arrested a suspected militant.

According to CTD in-charge Sarwar Awan, the arrested suspect is affiliated with the banned sectarian outfit Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan. Hand grenades and a fund book were found in his possession, he said.

During a preliminary interrogation, he said, the suspect had admitted his involvement in various cases of terrorism, including the killings of Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai, Mufti Jamil and a foreigner in Karachi.

The suspect had been identified as Saleem Haider Zaidi (aka Saleem Bhai, Rehman and Rajab), he said.

Awan said the alleged militant’s name was also placed in the CTD’s Red Book. He added that his arrest was made during an intelligence-based raid conducted on University Road in Karachi.

Awan claimed that the arrested suspect was trained by militants in Parachinar and he was expert in making bombs. The CTD in-charge said the suspect had admitted that he killed a foreign national in 1994 in Aziz Bhatti area and he was also involved in the killings of Mufti Shamzai and Mufti Jamil in 2004. The suspect was also involved in a hand grenade attack at a mosque at Nagan Chowrangi area, he said, adding that the attack was carried out on sectarian grounds. He said cases against him had been registered and an investigation was under way.