Two ‘Sipah-e-Muhammad target killers’ apprehended

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed on Friday to have nabbed two members of banned outfit Sipah-e-Muhammad, allegedly involved in targeted killings, during an operation in SITE on Thursday. According to CTD in-charge Mazhar Mushwani, the operation was carried out jointly with another law enforcement agency and they seized weapons, including two 9mm pistols, a 30 bore pistol and many rounds of ammunition, from the possession of the nabbed suspects. The suspects were identified as Agha Hassan and Syed Muhammad Ali Raza Naqvi. He said that while Hassan and Naqvi had been arrested, another two suspects fled during an exchange of fire. Mushwani further stated that the arrested men worked under Osat Ali Rizvi, who ran a sleeper cell, adding that Hassan and Naqvi had confessed to their involvement in multiple targeted killings, including that of Dr Mehboob in Alfalah in 2011. He said Rizvi would pay the sleeper cell's Rs25,000 per month for conducting recces for attacks and carrying out target killings. The nabbed men are being interrogated for more information, Mushwani said.