Fluke?: Police nab suspected suicide bomber

Intended target was Muharram procession in G-6.

ISLAMABAD:

Security agencies claimed to have foiled an attack on an imambargah in the federal capital by arresting an alleged suicide bomber and his handler from the Tarnol area on Wednesday night.

Sources said the two suspects were plotting to target the Asna Ashri Imambargah in Sector G-6, where thousands of Shia mourners gathered on Thursday to participate in the 9th Muharram procession and subsequent religious gatherings.

According to sources, the two suspects were trying to make their way in to Islamabad from Tarnol, an eastern suburb that links the capital to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa through the Grand Trunk Road and the M-1 motorway.

Initial reports suggested one of the suspects fired at police personnel stationed at an Islamabad entry check post after they were flagged to stop. The Tarnol Police Station did not confirm the firing incident.

Law enforcement personnel seized suicide jackets and weapons from the suspects, who were identified as 25-year-old Matiullah, the would-be bomber, and Saeed Abdullah, the alleged mastermind of the attack, according to the police sources.

Sources claimed security officials also found an Afghan passport with a Pakistani visa on one of the suspects, but did not confirm which of the two, or both, were Afghan nationals.

The Islamabad Police, with most of its officials busy in supervising Muharram security arrangements, did not issue any public announcement about the arrest of the suspected attackers.

Around 3,000 police personnel are deployed for security duty in Muharram in the capital, supported by the Quick Response Force and Pakistan Rangers. The police had closed down much of Sector G-9 for the 8th Muharram procession on Wednesday evening and had orders to not allow cars or motorcycles within 200 yards of gatherings and processions. Areas surrounding Sector G-6/2, where the imambargah is located, were also blocked for vehicular traffic on Thursday.

In August, an imambargah on the western outskirts of the federal capital was the target of a foiled suicide attack on the first day of Eidul Fitr. The suicide bomber had broken in to the mosque while firing a gun, but his suicide vest malfunctioned, giving a security guard the chance to shoot the bomber. The guard also died due to injuries sustained in the exchange of fire.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2013.