The city police on Friday said they arrested at least seven sectarian militants including the city chief of the banned Sunni extremist outfit Lashkare Jhangvi (LJ) following a fierce shootout just before the accused were about to stage a high profile planned attack.
More than half a dozen suicide vests, rocket launchers and explosive material weighing almost 125 kilograms were also recovered from them. Police officer Mohammad Aslam told the media in a press conference that a team of Crime Investigation Department (CID) raided a house in Noor Mohammad Goth on a tip-off in western Karachi.
Those arrested included Mahmood Babar alias Durki Shah, who was the chief of LJ Karachi chapter, Fahimul Haq alias Behari, Mohammad Tahir alias Mota, Mohammad Abid alias Abbasi, Mohammad Arif, Inayatuallh alias Maya and Mohammad Rafiq alias Sheena.
Aslam said that interrogation of the suspects was underway and so far the arrested LJ chief disclosed planning a jail break in order to free dozens of their colleagues imprisoned in Central Jail Karachi.
Revealing the plan of the jail break, Mahmood told the interrogators that they had plotted to prepare two explosive laden vehicles to execute their plan. Under the plan, one explosive filled vehicle was to hit Ghulamane Abbas School at Mari Pur Road, in western Karachi to divert the authorities’ attention towards school children. Meanwhile, a heavy explosive laden dumper would strike the jail.
Mahmood allegedly told the police that he was in contact with Asif Choto, the LJ cheif of Pakistan who would send over two dozen militants from Waziristan to Karachi. The militants would act as reinforcement to Mahmood’s team after the jail was blown following which they would start a shootout with the police personnel present at the jail.
Police said that Mahmood was also involved in many sectarian target killings in Karachi and had been arrested earlier, serving seven years in jail. He was released in 2008.The Police also claimed that all of the arrested terrorists were well trained in use of explosive material and all kinds of weapons.
