Nabbed: Ahmadi worship place attackers in detention

MULTAN:

Over a dozen people suspected of being involved in Saturday’s attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Taunsa have been detained by law enforcement agencies.

An intelligence officer told The Express Tribune on Thursday that 20 people had been arrested from Multan, Bahawalnagar, Chichawatni, Okara and Khanewal. He said the suspects were wanted in connection with a number of terrorism cases across south and central Punjab.

Dera Ghazi Khan DPO Ghulam Mubashir had claimed on Wednesday that police had arrested two men suspected of being involved in the attack. Mubashir had told newsmen that Hanif and Khalid were nabbed on Monday. He had revealed that the suspects were associated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Al-Qaeda. Mubashir said the men were associated with groups of the outfits that had previously carried out attacks in Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh and Attock. He said police had seized arms including pistols and Kalashnikov rifles from them. Mubashir said police had also seized hate literature, armament manuals and material on ways of conducting attacks and executing suicide bombings from the men.

The Taunsa DSP told The Express Tribune that Khalid, an accomplice of the suspects, had also been nabbed on Thursday.

Unidentified assailants had attacked a policeman deployed at an Ahmadi worship place Baitus Salat in the early hours of Saturday on Taunsa College Road. The men had fled after depriving the policeman of his rifle. DPO Mubashir had directed officials to quickly nab the suspects after taking notice of the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2015.