Police claim KPO attack mastermind neutralised

An alleged terrorist involved in the Abbas Town bomb blast, the Karachi Police Office (KPO) attack, and other terrorist activities was killed in an encounter with the Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in the Mochko area.

CTD DIG Asif Ijaz informed the media that the deceased terrorist, Umar Farooq alias Fareedullah, was associated with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The deceased terrorist was the mastermind behind the Karachi police office (KPO) attack and the A Town bomb blast.

DIG Ijaz said a threat alert issued by the Sindh Home Department recently had indicated that a terrorist had been dispatched with a specific mission to initiate terrorist activities in Karachi and reactivate the terrorist network. In response, the CTD Sindh and federal intelligence agencies launched a search for this individual.

Late Tuesday night, the CTD received intelligence from informants about his whereabouts. The team located him near the Northern Bypass close to Hanfia Masjid. When Doctor saw the police team approaching, he opened fire to avoid arrest, leading to a retaliatory response from the CTD team. The injured suspect was being transported to the hospital for medical treatment when he succumbed to his injuries due to excessive bleeding during transit. The body of the deceased was taken to the Civil Hospital. On receiving news of the incident, DIG Asif Ijaz, along with other CTD officials, arrived at the Civil Hospital. Talking to the media DIG Asif said Doctor, though a prime suspect in the Abbas Town bomb blast, had fled to Afghanistan after being acquitted in several terrorism cases.