Suicide bombers arrested: Potential terror attack foiled in Faisalabad

Police recover explosive materials from the possession of the young militants.

FAISALABAD:

Local police claimed to have foiled a potential terrorist attack after the arrest of two suicide bombers in Faisalabad on Tuesday.

They also recovered explosive materials from the possession of the young militants who were roaming around the Darbar of Baba Qayam Sayeen in the vicinity of Ghulam Muhammadabad.

The police confirmed that the two suspects were intercepted at Baba Qayam’s shrine by a joint team of the police and a secret agency.

The arrested persons – Asmatullah and Rehman – were immediately shifted to unknown location for interrogation.

The police informed that Asmatullah is a resident of Dera Ghazi Khan, while his accomplice Rehman belongs to Bannu district.

Both the boys are said to have received special training for terrorist activities and hitting targets through modern techniques.

Police sources said that the police and secret agency personnel were tipped by arrested terrorist Usman Ghani, who was involved in the March 8 bomb blast in Faisalabad which killed 27 people and injured over 130.

Sources further revealed that the accused were going to take shelter at the residences of their accomplices in Faisalabad.

Police teams have been constituted to nab the handlers of hardened criminals on the lead of arrested terrorists, the sources added.

A senior police officer told The Express Tribune, on the condition of anonymity, that the arrest of Usman Ghani and his associates from various parts of the province was one of the major successes against terrorists who are disparately involved in attacks across Punjab.



Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2011.