- Wounded attacker confesses to having trained in Afghanistan fields
- Weapons smugglers and facilitators linked to the attack arrested.
- Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is trying to revive its activities, says CTD official.
The mastermind behind the June 27 attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi, along with smugglers supplying weapons to terrorists, have been arrested, Counter Terrorism Department SSP Irfan Bahadur said on Tuesday.
Addressing a joint press conference at the Central Police Office in Karachi along with Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon and senior officials of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), the police officer said that
Three Pakistan Rangers personnel were martyred and four others were injured in the attack on the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) camp in Karachi on June 27, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Three attackers were killed and one was arrested and wounded.
SSP Bahadur said the attack had been planned in Afghanistan, from where instructions were given. He added that the weapons and explosives used in the assault had also been supplied from Afghanistan.
According to the CTD official, Muhammad Bashir was the mastermind of the attack and was arrested after the incident. He said Bashir had coordinated all logistical arrangements with the help of 13 facilitators.
SSP Bahadur said that the four-member terrorist group, identified as Janan, Hadi, Umar and Usman, entered Karachi from Afghanistan. They were transported from Hub Chowki to Korangi, where they were lodged before carrying out the attack.
He said Janan was the suicide bomber who detonated explosives at the entrance to the Rangers camp, allowing the three remaining terrorists to enter the site.
The SSP said the wounded terrorist, Usman, confessed during interrogation that the attackers had undergone training in different camps in Afghanistan.
He added that investigators had recovered videos showing preparations for the attack and had recorded statements from the training camp of the Indian group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.
Lanjar said four terrorists carried out the attack, including three Afghan nationals and a resident of Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said those responsible for the attackers led the operation from Afghan territory, while the Rangers killed three terrorists during a successful operation and arrested a fourth attacker who was wounded.
IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon said the aim of the attack was to sabotage peace in Karachi, adding that logistical support and weapons came from Afghanistan. He said the matter was being examined by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Additional CTD IG Zulfiqar Larak said the incident marked the first major activity of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar in a long time, adding that the group was trying to reassert its presence.
