They say the suspects are trying to establish a network to carry out attacks against security forces, key sites in the city.
Sindh Counter Terrorism Department arrests two men affiliated with banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). PHOTO: CTD
KARACHI:
The Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Tuesday said it foiled a terror plot in Karachi after arresting two men who it said were affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), according to a CTD statement.
The CTD said the suspects, identified as Mujahid Baloch and Fareed Baloch, also known as Zakir Bin, were arrested during an intelligence operation (IBO). The pamphlet said the pair had received training in BLA camps, including in reconnaissance and communications, and had been operating in Karachi on instructions from commanders Sajid Baloch and Basheer Zeb.
According to the CTD, “the suspects had been collecting information on sensitive facilities and attempting to establish a network to carry out attacks against security forces and other key locations in the city.”
Officials said: “They recovered 4kg of explosives, detonators, primacord and ball bearings during the operation.” A case has been registered under the Explosive Substances Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act, while further investigations are underway.
“Additional teams have been formed, working alongside other security agencies, to continue the investigation and carry out further operations based on information obtained from the suspects,” the CTD concluded.
Read: Nine police officers, including two SHOs, martyred in terror attack in Balochistan
The arrests come just over a week after one of the deadliest attacks on Pakistan Rangers in recent years in Karachi. On June 27, three Pakistan (Sindh) Rangers personnel were killed and four others injured after security forces foiled an attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi. The military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said the assault was carried out by Khawarij belonging to Indian proxy Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.
According to police, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the camp’s main gate before three gunmen entered the site, shooting indiscriminately and throwing hand grenades. Security personnel shot dead two of the attackers, while the third was injured and detained alive. Police identified him as Usman alias Ali and said a submachine gun, ammunition and a hand grenade were recovered from him.
Investigators said the suspect told them he was from Jalalabad, Afghanistan. He also claimed that two of the other attackers were Afghan nationals, while the third was a Pakistani from Bajaur who had long been linked to a militant organization in Afghanistan and had arrived in Karachi a week before the attack.
