The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Sindh police claimed on Saturday to have arrested three militants of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), including the mastermind behind major attacks in the city, in separate raids.
According to details, a team of the CID’s Anti-Extremism Cell arrested notorious TTP terrorist Muhammad Dawood alias Waleed alias Ishaq from Mawach Goth with 50 kilogrammes of explosives, four submachine guns, one light machine gun, one rocket launcher, two mortar launchers, 10 grenades, two Kalashnikovs, two TT pistols, 20 feet of detonator wires, two detonators and 1,000 rounds.
CID Additional Inspector General (AIG) Ghulam Shabbir Sheikh said the accused was a bomb maker trained in Waziristan and was involved in almost all major terrorist activities in Karachi.
“During the initial course of investigation, the detainee revealed that he was the mastermind of the attack on the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine in 2010 and last year’s Sea View blasts,” added Sheikh.
The AIG said the Dawood identified suicide bombers involved in the Ghazi shrine blast as Badshah Khan and Abdullah.
“The terrorists had planned to attack the shrine once more, but the accidental explosion at Sea View foiled their original plan. Three Chechens, including a female suicide bomber, were killed among five terrorists in that blast,” added the AIG.
The CID official said the detainee was plotting to commit terror attacks during the chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS), but his plans have come to nothing after his arrest.
“According to a list of targets prepared by the accused, CID and other security agencies’ offices, five-star hotels, shrines and imambargahs were their main targets,” added the official.
Separately, a CID team conducted a raid on the National Highway, near the Abbot Factory in the Shah Latif area, and arrested two alleged TTP men.
CID Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mazhar Mashwani said Azeem Ahmad Sheikh alias Anees and Zubair Alam alias Munna were arrested with five rockets, two triple-two rifles and several rounds.
Mashwani said Sheikh, an expert in making remote control bombs, hails from Hyderabad, Sindh, and he had joined al Qaeda on the directives of Tahir and Talat in 2009.
The CID official said Talat belongs to al Qaeda and he had given Alam’s custody to Sheikh. Alam, who was brainwashed by Talat for committing a suicide blast, was tasked by Sheikh to target SSP Chaudhry Aslam.
“During the initial course of investigation, Sheikh admitted murdering seven people, including Advocate Syed Mukhtiar Bukhari, on Tahir’s directives,” added the official.
MURDERS: At least three people were murdered in separate parts of the city, police said on Saturday.
A 25-year-old woman was murdered in the limits of the Quaidabad police station. SHO Nasir Mishwani said Erum, wife of Haider Zaman and a resident of Sherpao Colony, was
found dead with burn injuries. After postmortem, doctors said the victim was burnt with a chemical.
Separately, police recovered the hand-cuffed body of a youth at Niazi Chowk in Lyari. The police said 25-year-old Nasir could have been murdered over personal enmity.
In another incident, a man was stabbed to death at Shafiq Morr in New Karachi.
The victim was identified as Rafique Ahmed.
SUICIDE: A 25-year-old man committed suicide at his residence in Block-IV of Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Police said Shoaib shot himself. He was working as a salesman at a garment shop.
