Terror bid thwarted: Two al Qaeda men held in Sargodha

LAHORE: Law enforcement officials claimed to have detained two suspected al Qaeda terrorists from a secluded spot in Sargodha on Saturday, pre-empting a major terror attack and seizing a huge arms cache in the process.

Earlier police mounted a search operation after receiving information about two suspicious men.

Regional Police Officer Zulfiqar Hameed told a news conference that the suspects were arrested by a police team led by SP Investigation Bilal Iftikhar.

He identified the detained men as Usman Muavia and Qari Ijaz, saying that both men belonged to a banned outfit.

Police also seized five hand-grenades, 37 explosive devices, two kilogrammes of explosive material used in suicide jackets, seven Kalashnikov assault rifles and 695 bullets from the possession of the arrested men.

During initial interogation, suspects confessed that they planned terrorist activities during Muharam in Sargodha and adjacent districts.

The suspects disclosed that they had received training in Afghanistan and were affiliated with al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

They also trained with terrorists’ in Wana, South Waziristan and claimed to be ‘experts’ in making suicide vests.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2016.