Suspect in Malala shooting placed on ECL

Atta Ullah Khan had allegedly crossed over from Afghanistan into Pakistan to shoot Malala, and fled after the deed.

ISLAMABAD: The 23 year-old man believed to have pulled the trigger on Malala Yousufzai, Atta Ullah Khan, has been placed on the exit control list (ECL), DawnNews reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, Khan had crossed over from Afghanistan in to Pakistan, before making his way to Swat. There, he tracked down his target, intercepting Malala’s school van on October 9, 2012. He fled shortly after the assassination attempt.

Sources told DawnNews that the Federal Investigation Agency and its immigration arm have been provided details of the suspect.

Khan, a former Swat resident, was last week identified by police officials as the main suspect in the shooting incident.  Police said that Khan had been a studying for a master’s degree in chemistry prior to opting for militancy and had studied for his Bachelor of Science degree in physics at Jahanzeb College in Swat.