Jinnah Hospital attack mastermind arrested

Intelligence sources confirmed that a doctor in Jinnah Hospital, Lahore was the mastermind behind the deadly attack.

Intelligence agencies arrested the mastermind of the Jinnah Hospital attack which occurred two months ago, along with eight other culprits on Thursday.

Doctor Ali Abdullah, the accused mastermind of the Jinnah Hospital attack, had been missing for the last three days.

The police registered a case against unidentified persons on the request of Dr. Ali's Father, Dr Sarfraz who is serving as a senior registrar in the Services Hospital.

Intelligence agencies disclosed that Dr Ali Abdullah was arrested three days ago.

Sources said that eight other people have also been arrested for their alleged involvement in the Jinnah Hospital attack.

Sources have further revealed that Dr Ali helped the attackers execute their plan and provided medical aid to one of the injured attackers.

Sources further said that Abdullah also gave shelter to the terrorists prior to the attack, and provided them a map of the hospital. He also allegedly provided the vehicle for their escape, and aided one injured terrorist after the assault.

Abdullah is currently being held at an unknown location for further interrogation.

Background

Earlier reports indicated that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) picked up Doctor Abdullah in connection with the May 31 attack on the Jinnah Hospital after “a thorough surveillance lasting over a month and a half” on July 10, officials in the agency told The Express Tribune.

Intelligence officials said that the ISI men had started monitoring doctors who they suspected might have facilitated the terrorists who attacked the hospital in a bid to free or kill a suspect named Moaz, who was injured during the May 28 attack on the Ahmadis’ places of worship in Model Town.

The sources said that Abdullah was the first one to send a bouquet to the injured suspect on May 30 while he was still recuperating in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).

Despite Abdullah being a junior doctor, they said, he gained access to the terrorist inside the ICU because of his alleged connections with the Islami Jamiat-e-Taleba (IJT) and the Jamaatud Dawa, which is a banned group.