More details emerge in Imran attack as police interrogate suspect

The police investigation into the attack on PTI’s long march revealed that suspect Naveed is a drug addict and his statements regarding the incident are ‘doubtful’.

According to Express News, during the interrogation the accused admitted to opening fire on the container of PTI chief Imran Khan in Wazirabad on Thursday.

In a statement to the police, the accused said that he bought 26 bullets along with a pistol through a man named Waqas from Wazirabad.

Police sources said the polygraph test of the accused could also be conducted to dig out more information.

The family members of the accused were also detained while the bullet shells had been recovered from the crime scene which will be sent for forensic examination, sources added.

During interrogation with major investigation agencies including Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), the accused revealed that first he tried to attack the PTI chief from a roof of the mosque but he was not allowed to go there due to Asar prayer.

The accused reached the crime scene through the bypass road where he asked the people participating in the march to turn off the loudspeaker playing party’s anthem, as per sources.

According to the police investigation, the accused opened a full burst at a distance of fifteen to twenty steps from the container.

The bullets in the pistol were homemade and the weapon got jammed after he fired eight bullets.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested two more suspects in connection with the investigation into the attack on PTI’s long march.

Also read: Imran named PM, interior minister, army officer for assassination bid: Umar

The suspects were arrested on the identification of prime accused Naveed.

The suspects have been identified as Waqas and Faisal Butt.

He initially remained in the custody of the district police. On Friday, he was moved to Counter Terrorism Department centre at Chung for further investigation.

The investigators also grilled the accused to find out if there was any mastermind of the attack.

The suspect, however, did not point out to anyone during the initial investigations. He remained firmed that he acted alone and said some speeches of Imran Khan hurt his religious sentiment. His mobile phone reportedly had those clips.

He also told the investigators that he used to hear the speeches of few religious scholars. The clips of Dr Israr Ahmad, Late Maulana Khadim Rizvi and his son Hafiz Saad Rizvi were also recovered from his mobile phone.

Naveed told the investigators that he was frustrated because Imran Khan was allegedly misleading the nation and had also uttered ‘blasphemous and anti-religion words’.

He said that as he opened fire, the guards at the container shot at him and a bullet fired from guards hit the PTI supporter Moazam, killing him on the spot.

So far the investigations could not find out any evidence that could lead them to the involvement of another shooter unlike the claims of the PTI leadership.

The FIR of the incident has not been registered yet. Former prime minister Imran Khan in a speech from the hospital had also said that the authorities had not agreed upon the registration of FIR against accused who he believed were behind the plot.

(With additional input from Muhammad Shehzad in Lahore)