'Rogue cop' in custody for Police Lines carnage

Man allegedly responsible for over 80 deaths finally caught

PESHAWAR:

In a major breakthrough and victory against terrorists, Peshawar police have arrested Constable Muhammad Wali, the main facilitator in the Peshawar Police Lines suicide attack which claimed over 80 lives at the beginning of 2023.

Official sources told The Express Tribune the suicide bomber attempted to carry out the attack a few days before, but was hesitant to go through and couldn't enter the Police Lines.

Constable Wali, who played the role of handler by escorting the bomber to the Police Lines on January 30, has confessed that this was the bomber's second attempt. The first one failed, he said.

Social media apps Facebook and Telegram played a significant role in the Police Lines bombing, highlighting that K-P Police and CTD are lagging in monitoring uncontrolled social media. Previously, terrorists arrested in Swat used the popular game PUBG for terrorism, using group chats to communicate about targets, which were difficult to monitor.

According to K-P Police Chief Akhtar Hayat Khan, Constable Muhammad Wali joined the police in 2019 and began contacting terrorist organisations through social media in 2021. He maintained contact via Facebook with individuals in terrorist groups based in Afghanistan.

Before the attack, he provided the map, photos, and entry points of the Police Lines and sent images of the aftermath via Telegram to Afghanistan. The IG stated that on November 11, the CTD and law enforcement agencies acted on intelligence and arrested an external terrorist associated with the banned Jamaatul Ahrar, part of Fitna Al-Khawarij, from Jamil Chowk, Ring Road, Peshawar, along with two suicide vests.

The captured terrorist was directly involved in receiving and transporting suicide vests, bombers, weapons, and explosives from Afghanistan.

The arrested terrorist, a police employee and key member of the banned organization Jamaatul Ahrar, facilitated the Police Lines suicide bombing by guiding the bomber, identifying the target, conducting reconnaissance, and escorting him to the site.

On January 30, 2023, the suicide bomber blew himself up during afternoon prayers at the Police Lines mosque in Peshawar, resulting in the martyrdom of 86 police personnel and injuries to 249 others. During investigations, CTD arrested another facilitator, Imtiaz alias Tora Shipa, from Khyber district on March 17, 2023.

He made significant revelations about the suicide bombing and stated that the Jamaatul Ahrar carried out the attack in retaliation for the killing of their former leader Omar Khalid Khorasani in Afghanistan on August 7, 2021.

Imtiaz also disclosed the presence of the banned group's network in Peshawar city and their involvement in the Police Lines attack.

For the past 22 months, all law enforcement agencies have been working to track down the handler/facilitator seen with the bomber in CCTV footage. The arrest of Muhammad Wali is the result of these efforts.

Muhammad Wali has admitted in initial interrogation to facilitating the Police Lines bombing by assisting the suicide bomber, Qari, a resident of Afghanistan. Further attempts are being made to gather critical information and evidence during interrogation.

The arrest of Muhammad Wali sends a clear message to all: CTD and intelligence agencies, with public cooperation, are committed and united in eliminating the threat of terrorism posed by Khawarij and thwarting the ambitions of Fitna Al-Khawarij's foreign masters.

A senior CTD officer told The Express Tribune that the accused used Telegram to communicate with contacts in Afghanistan, sharing photos of the Police Lines and playing a significant role in the bombing. Constable Muhammad Wali picked up the bomber from Bara, brought him to Peshawar, provided him with a uniform, and supplied the suicide vest.

The constable received 200,000 Pakistani rupees as payment, or just over 2,400 rupees per person martyred in the deadly suicide bombing.

All payments were transferred via hundi from Afghanistan and collected at Chowk Yadgar. The accused was also involved in the killing of a church pastor, targeted killings, and played a facilitative role in the murder of two police officers in Punjab.