QUETTA: Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Aitzaz Ahmed Goraya said in a press conference on Wednesday that the CTD had arrested a “wanted” militant of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) al-Alami from the outskirts of Quetta.
DIG Goraya said that the department received a tip-off and consequently a compound was raided in Hazarganji where the militant was hiding.
“We have taken the militant into custody who was involved in a large number of targeted killings and is a key leader of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami,” said the DIG. The arrested suspect is said to be Qari Ismail alias Khalid, according to the press conference.
Ismail allegedly confessed during his initial interrogation that he was involved in 15 incidents of targeted killings, which also included attacks on security forces and Hazaras.
A large number of arms and ammunition was recovered from the militant’s hideout, added the CTD DIG.
Police showed a confessional statement of Qari Ismail in which he gave the names of security personnel that he and his group had killed during the last two years. In the video statement, Ismail also confessed that he had joined Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al-Alami in 2014 and had completed his training in Afghanistan.
DIG Goraya added that more militants were expected to be present in Quetta and police was conducting search operations to find them.
