Pakistan

Alleged financer? College co-owner held over Safoora bus attack

Officials admit they haven’t yet found evidence of his involvement

Faraz Khan December 18, 2015

PHOTO: FACEBOOK

KARACHI: A special unit of the police announced on Friday the arrest of a man who allegedly bankrolled the militants who carried out the grisly Safoora Goth bus attack.

Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials said that Adil Masood Butt has been taken into 90-days preventive detention, under Protection of Pakistan Act 2014, by the CTD for questioning.

Butt’s house in Phase V of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) was raided on December 2 over his suspected involvement in financing the Safoora attack.

US agrees to extend military assistance for another year

Gunmen shot dead 45 members of the Ismaili community during an execution style attack on their bus in Safoora Goth in May this year.

Cautioning that their investigations were still in the preliminary stage, CTD Investigation Officer Muhammad Zafar disclosed that Butt was a highly educated man, having graduated (BSc) in management from Indiana University in the US before completing an MBA from Fordham University. Further, he is a member of the board of governors of the College of Accounting and Management Sciences (CAMS) in Karachi, holding around 50 per cent of shares of the institution.

Safoora carnage: ATC remands two more suspects to prison

Further, he is a partner in the restaurant owned by the chief suspect in the Safoora bus attack – Saad Aziz.

A second CTD official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed Butt’s arrest. Noting that their investigations into his possible involvement in the attack were still under way, they had yet to find any direct evidence of his role.

Alleged financiers of Safoora bus attack to be grilled for 90 days

“A joint interrogation team (JIT) will be formed for him if anything is proved against him, otherwise he could be released and his name placed in the fourth schedule.”

Officials said that interrogations of Aziz and his comrades had yielded names of four suspects for financing the attack while Butt’s name came up during their questioning.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2015.

COMMENTS (35)

Javed Imtiaz | 8 years ago | Reply It is very curious how we behave! Willing to lynch someone because the trustworthy police claim the person may have given money to a terrorist . Have we heard the other side? Who cares? Good luck to our country!

Anonymous | 8 years ago | Reply A person derives his values from his beliefs and that then guides one's daily activities and treatment of people. Please check out this facebook page which has been created by his students who know him as a gentle, kind-hearted soul who was fair and just in his dealings with all kinds of people; muslims, non-muslims and people of other sects. https://www.facebook.com/teacherAdilbutt/

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Jaffer Jamil | 8 years ago | Reply People take this news report with a grain of salt - no, a bucket of salt! The US has recently approved a budget in excess of $6.5 billion for fighting terrorism. In order to get some of that money, allied governments have to show/prove that they are combating this group, implicating people whether they are involved or not. Elsewhere in this publication there are news of extension of US military assistance by 1 year and an award of $300 million for anti-terrorist activities. The delays in capturing most likely due to this budget approval. The latest catchword is Daesh/IS/ISIS. This is not the first time innocents have been turned in by authorities. Guantanamo is full of people turned in for "blood money".

Imran Ahmed | 8 years ago | Reply @Conviction: No, no. I apologise if I came across that way. Even if the poor chap is declared innocent the poor reputation of our systems means that he will remain tainted.

Nouman Younas | 8 years ago | Reply title said it all... "Alleged" and we proved him guilty

Not possible | 8 years ago | Reply @Indict: It is not possible for there is no evidence. But Jibran Nasir should still try.

Conviction | 8 years ago | Reply @Imran Ahmed: You have already "convicted" without a fair trial. Whatever happened to the principle that everyone is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. The authorities are only suspecting him and they have not even brought a charge against him but your majesty has already convicted him.

asad ali | 8 years ago | Reply @M. Faizan Farooq: dear u better not judge any one caz u can't read any one heart ... saad azz was young guy educated nd strong family back ground but he is murderer of those who r in close to no one problem ... ismailies r not in any wrong deeds then y saad killed 45 innocent ppl so I RESPECT LEAs

Imran Ahmed | 8 years ago | Reply That one does not instinctively pooh pooh the possibility of a religious looking, well heeled, well educated pillar of society being involved in the multiple murder of innocents is a sign of the times where a madhab has been degraded to such an extent that we can readily believe the worst of its followers. No wealthy person is easily convicted by our justice system which needs huge amounts of upgrading. Witness protection and internal policing of the police and judiciary would be a start.

Saracens | 8 years ago | Reply @TooTrue: Seriously! What's wrong with his face. I see an absolutely normal person. Receiving an award or his other accomplishments are not important for you yet his face makes a difference. Pathetic! Stereotypical comment. There are millions in Pakistan with such face. Do not go blind in your hatred of religious rituals that you stop making sense. This is typical of desi liberals.

Peter | 8 years ago | Reply @TooTrue: Hey people look we have someone who tells what people are from inside by looking their face. Even Jesus could not do that.

False | 8 years ago | Reply @TooTrue: It is stupid to judge people by their appearances.

Indict | 8 years ago | Reply @MSH: "Molana Abdul Aziz despite his anti state activities has been give protection by interior ministry and Chase Nisar for the reasons best known to him." In this case Jibran Nasir, the well-known lawyer, political activist, who held demos outside Lal Masjid where AA preaches, should do the legal work to get AA indicted.

First | 8 years ago | Reply @MSH: First it would be necessary to prove where and when he violated the law. Unless that is proven it is tendentious to blame anyone for protecting him.

Rumormonger | 8 years ago | Reply Strange. He should have joined a political party and benefited from democracy.

TooTrue | 8 years ago | Reply Just look at that face. What else would you expect?

Zahid | 8 years ago | Reply Kashmiri Butts are getting a bad name

MSH | 8 years ago | Reply Eye Opening for Nawaz Sharif.The Nawaz Sharif should stop supporting these criminals and take action on the Madrasas and extremists corrupting the minds of youngsters.Molana Abdul Aziz despite his anti state activities has been give protection by interior ministry and Chase Nisar for the reasons best known to him.

Imtiaz | 8 years ago | Reply He must hanged in public view if found guilty.

M. Faizan Farooq | 8 years ago | Reply I would like for the website to publish this comment as I feel that this would clarify a number of misconceptions that people may have of Mr. Butt. Mr. Butt is a distinguished academic who has been involved deeply with accounting and finance studies for an extensive period. I have studied in the aforementioned CAMS college as an ACCA student and had found the faculty, the personnel and Mr. Butt extremely competent and diligent. What is more relevant is that Mr. Butt had held many religious seminars as regarding extremism and tolerance and was foremost in respect for students and faculty members of other sects and religions. CAMS had a number of non-Muslim employees who performed their tasks amicably and had served the college with utmost respect for Mr. Butt. It is clear that the law enforcement agencies have picked the fellow without any evidence. It is such actions that dent the credibility of the armed forces where rangers and police and open them to political scrutiny. I feel that the individual, Mr. Butt would be released however the reputations sullied shall take a lifetime to rebuild. A sad day for CAMSians everywhere indeed.

abc | 8 years ago | Reply Lol. Another Syria and Iraq to be. Orders seem clear : Arrest every bearded educated and rich person. They are the potential threat to Army's secularism theory. Mindless..

Asif Maalik | 8 years ago | Reply I would like to quote legendary comedian Umer Sharif’s Tweet: “I have to teach children of enemy…….either you teach or not enemy’s children the enemy is already teaching your children.”

Peter | 8 years ago | Reply

"Officials admit they haven’t yet found evidence of his involvement."

If proven innocent then he should sue all electronic and print media who out of their insensitive craze of 'being first to bring the news' published his 'suspected involvement' even before the JIT is formed or the linked is established.

hud hud | 8 years ago | Reply Easy to detain anyone on hearsay and obtain a confession under duress than convicting on evidence. Why not arrest all those who dined at his restaurant? What if our president also has once dined at the restaurant?

Fundametals | 8 years ago | Reply So does that mean education and financial well being has nothing to do with an ideology?

Fayaz | 8 years ago | Reply Mullah mafia got another "son of the Nation".

Acorn Guts | 8 years ago | Reply Seemingly a never ending wave of imbeciles.

Asad Shairani | 8 years ago | Reply I hope they give evidence of his (and others') involvement as soon as possible. As yet, the public hasn't been given any evidence of even Saad Aziz's involvement other than reports of his alleged confession. As much as I would like to get all the monsters behind bars, unjust practices will only create more rhetoric and recruitment tools for the militants.

Parvez | 8 years ago | Reply Years ago when the MQM warned that the ' Taliban mindset ' was spreading in Karachi....no one listened. Today because the State has failed in its duties, such religious extremist outfits are not only functioning but spreading ...... and the sad part is that its the women who are in the forefront of this movement now.

Shabbir | 8 years ago | Reply They have no evidence. They will extort bribes from him and then let him go.

sabi | 8 years ago | Reply They are the worst criminal they must be up routed asap. Concerned authorities need our applause. Keep it up.

IBN E ASHFAQUE | 8 years ago | Reply “A joint interrogation team (JIT) will be formed for him if anything is proved against him, otherwise he could be released and his name placed in the fourth schedule.” If they have no evidence why did they publish his name and photograph? Given the ability of Karachi Police........this guy will be fleeced till his last Ruppee.........

N K Ali | 8 years ago | Reply Now the NAB, FIA, and concerned agencies must start the ball rolling in the rite direction for a quick and speedy trial. Not only of the bankrolling terrorist but also of all political, religious, and other terrorists who are disrupting the lives of the citizens and bankrupting the economy. A frank and harder line of action is necessary to lighten the hearts of the citizens. Salams

Jim Jamal | 8 years ago | Reply Alleged financer? Why not let the courts decide this? The problem with these arrests is that the concerned authorities create media hype by issuing sensational bits and then there is no follow up on the proceedings. It has been 7 months since Safoora carnage and yet not one person is punished by the courts. If those arrested have accepted their crime, why not give them due punishment?

binger | 8 years ago | Reply pathetic scenario

Replying to X