Dr. Imran Farooq. PHOTO: FILE
LONDON: British police investigating the murder of exiled Pakistani politician Imran Farooq in London nearly three years ago said they had arrested a man at Heathrow airport on Monday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.
The 52-year-old man, a British citizen of Pakistani origin, was detained by counter-terrorism officers as he arrived on a flight from Canada and was taken to a West London police station, police added in a statement.
The name of the suspect was revealed to be Iftikhar Hussain.
Data recovered from his cell phone is likely to lead to other arrests, Express News reported.
Authorities have barred Hussain from leaving the city.
The suspect was reached on the basis of forensic investigations using the evidence gathered by the security officials.
Around 3,000 people have been interviewed by Scotland Yard officials in the past 2 years as part of their investigation on the murder. Search operations were held for up to 40 hours.
Prior to the arrest, 2 houses used by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were searched for evidence. One house was owned by the MQM Chief Altaf Husain and the other by a man named Akhtar.
Farooq, 50, was a former leader of MQM and had lived in London in self-imposed exile from 1999.
He was on his way back from work when he was attacked outside his home in Edgware, north London, in September 2010.
A post-mortem gave the cause of death as multiple stab wounds and blunt trauma to the head. A kitchen knife and a house brick used in the attack were recovered at the scene.
The MQM, a secular party, has been locked in a battle with various rivals for influence in Pakistan, particularly in Karachi, its main powerbase in the country.
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chaudry Nisar is expereinced and MNS will inshallah get karachi back to the Pre 86 level
@bilal: Hypothetical
@Aysha M: what would be your stance if your leader is involved in the killing of Mr. Imran Farooq
I salute British justice system where no one is above the law. This system makes me more and more in love with the country. As far these dirty Pakistani politicians are concern they have thought that they will get away with this murder. However Scotland yard is yet to mark a history and make them example. Thanks free neutral and independent Britain
Commenting on ET is just my two-cents for Karachi.
I am unable to understand why would anybody be so invested in taking up my IDs
I think Karachi and Karchites deserve to be treated with dignity. They are largely dispossessed and deprived lot. I said before, when I move about in the city in my cool and comfortable car, and I see people on bus tops, it feels that I am having a 5 course meal with starving people watching. It is so unfair, not to have a decent public transport system in the metropolis. Also, absence of local policing is such a menace.
I would like to have a directly elected mayor of Karachi with transport and policing under him. This is all I want for my home city and it may be against popular opinion but I think any political party which has done it before and can make it work for Karachi is MQM. We can debate and allow reason to lead our arguments and act responsibly rather than resorting to taking up IDs.
As for Imran Farooq case may the guilty be apprehended, I would really wait for justice to take its course rather than jumping to involve or discount MQM. As of now I believe that it cant be MQM
According to ET's sister newspaper, Express, Iftihar HUSSAIN is nephew of a well known political leader. . What is stopping Express from naming the Uncle of Mr. HUSSAIN (the arrested person).
As fr as Farooq bhai Murder no doubt its very henious , but i dont understand that why agencies revealing culprit & they trying to defame our leadership & leader !!! we all r with our QAID & HIS VISION !!!
@Aysha M(the original version): My third ID taken up, moderators, is there no way you can check this
@Dani: Not at all neither mqm is in truble nor the worker of mqm becouse people have to die but the idealogy remains alive so Imran farooq 's and Altaf hussain both gave the same idea wich will be alive in Karachi there is no place for any more
A heinous crime like murder of Imran Farooq cannot be put under the carpet.
Sooner or later Scotland Yard Police will reach to the killer(s) of Imran Farooq and how the events took place step by step would be unfolded and made public.
Had Pakistani Police been so efficient, it would have solved each and every murder mystery committed by unknown people that are still remain unsolved, whereas the loved ones of the deceased people are waiting for the justice.
Imran Farooq was a great guy. Whoever did it (MQM or someone else) must be punished indiscriminately. Thankfully the case is in the hands of Scotland Yard.
I just hope and pray my City and Country get cleaned from all of thse Naa Maaloom Afraad in our country. I am living abroad and feel like crying everyday when I hear news about my country. I just wish and hope all of us including myself get sincere with country and try to do something instead of looking for some miracle to happen. I am not sure where the hack our agencies are sleeping and there is so much violence in country. For God sake please wake up and save Pakistan.
@Aysha M(the original version): Altaf bhai deserves an Oscar!
Is there anything ambiguous in the case, that SY had to interview 30000 ppl?
This would be historic moment for MQM because they lost one of the top leader, a founding member of party. He was brutally killed in London. Culprits should be brought to justice. But I wonder why not MQM do any Dharna, protests against brutal murder or even no function on death anniversary of Dr.Imran Farooq?Some thing is fishy!
I just hope and pray my City and Country get cleaned from these all Naa Maaloom Afraad in our country. I a living abroad and feel like crying everyday I hear news about my country. I just wish and hope all of us including myself when get sincere with country and keep on looking for some miracle to happen.
I am not sure where the hack our agencies are sleeping and there is so much violence in country. For God sake please wakeup and save Pakistan.
To everyone:
You all hate MQM for being a secular party. I mean did you see how Altaf Bhai was crying at the death of Imran Farooq Shaheed? Yet someone still blame bhai for the murder. Karachi hasn't seen development on par with Mustafa Kamal's mayor-ship from 2002-2007, yet british empire want to break MQM so Karachi doesn't develop like Singapore.
So now the UK is bad, innit? Must they bite every hand that feeds them???
Its a matter of 4.5 million pounds.
@Aysha M(the original version): Mention facts, MQM hasn't been named in the arrest officially yet, and you have declared your party as victim of a conspiracy. Conspiracy rant is well, pointless. Be ready with facts if it comes to that, don't just be a conspiracy theorist.
heard killers came from Sri Lanka to Pak and are known to PPP govt
@Gul Khan: Like the killers of 11 mountaineers in Gilgit, killers of 25 people including 14 female students in Quetta, killers of 2 PTI MPAs in KP, list goes on ----
i wish best of luck to scotland yard but i am afraid as in past scotland yard has badly failed in almost all the cases belonging to pakistan because of certain known reasons to almost every individual of pakistan. however, everyone of us is well aware of the fact that who was behind the murder of Imran farooq's but still we'll have to wait for the truth to be revealed.
Now this is getting interesting !!!
if a person is Pakistani, does that prove that Pakistan has made a conspiracy?
Scotland Yard, metropolitan & British govt all they are complete drama. They know everything & even activities are done with their consent. They are just using MQM and pretending to be as neutral, fair & clean.
Karachites prepare for another YOUM-E-SOUG ...
@Saeed: Absolutely Spot on! 1000% agree with what you have said. Typical mentality of Pakistanis. Also, the hatred for MQM is mainly because it represents the urdu speaking community and there is a severe hatred against the urdu speaking community. The treason case of Gen musharraf is down to the same.
Another Lee Harvey Oswald.......
Na-Maloom Afraid in trouble?
@Aysha M(the original version): WHAT? So, its confirmed everything is a conspiracy against you, no one has named MQM in the new piece and its still a conspiracy against you? I hope the killers get the right punishment, after all Mr. Imran Farooq was a MQM leader... or did you forget that he was your leader?
@Modi: Rehman Malik is no longer in charge so they will catch the real killer very soon G.Khan UK
Whether MQM is involved or not, people of Pakistan have already made up their mind (like always). If Scotland Yard finds MQM responsible, people will say, look - didn't we say that.
If they dont find MQM involved, they will say British are enemy of Islam and Pakistan and are protecting MQM.
Hope that the suspect is same due to which the whole Karachi is suffering
@Mujtaba: "....There’s more to this case than meets the eye...." . Isn't that the case always? A well trimmed formulation is what you get at the max.
@Ayesha (A2Z) series, I am waiting your comment(s).
Conspiracy against MQM by imperialists who want to divide Pakistan like the Balkans.
@Mujtaba: lol! its UK, not Pakistan, where you cannot refuse to cooperate! Search evidence clearly indicates that MQM is involoved in this case.
@Mujtaba
I wish I could have agreed with you. Alas the truth is catching up....
Hope the suspect is the same for which the whole Karachi is suffering.
One thing's for sure; MQM is not involved. Had its leadership been involved in the murder, they would not have co-operated. In fact they would have created hurdles.
There's more to this case than meets the eye. Fingers crossed.
we want the insurgent to be arrested urgently no matter whoever he is
Tomorrow will be Yom-e-soug
MQM has declared it The Best Thriller movie of their Party History.
The killers and criminals are getting caught somewhere... Thank God and thank you Scotland Yard...amazing how many resources were used to get one mans killer. We have people claiming responsibility for killing dozens of people everyday in Pakistan and no one is caught or punished. Amazing isn't it!