Attack averted?: Big cache of weapons seized, two arrested

The men were picked up with 20 guns and almost 7,000 bullets.

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi police claimed on Wednesday to have foiled a possible terrorist strike in the garrison city after arresting two men and recovering a huge cache of weapons from their possession earlier this week.

After deadly suicide blast at RA-Bazaar, the Rawalpindi police intensified search operations in various localities and checking of vehicles entering the city.

During this exercise, the Naseerabad police on Monday managed arrested two alleged terrorists after finding an unidentified submachine gun (SMG), two MP-5 SMGs, one 7mm, seven 12-bore repeaters, nine 30-bore pistols, 6,000 pistols rounds and 900 bullets SMG rounds. The alleged terrorists were identified as Arshad and Afzal, both from Peshawar.

The police said that weapons were being transported to Rawalpindi from Peshawar, and could have been use for any terrorism activity.

“We arrested the two from a suburb near the motorway... we are currently interrogating them,” Potohar Town Superintendent of Police Haroon Joya told The Express Tribune.

He said the alleged terrorists were coming from Peshawar and as soon as they left the motorway and got near Police Post Hameeda, their car was intercepted. The car was bearing a fake number plate with an Education Department logo.

To a query, he said that it is too early to say anything about possible targets. “After interrogation we will be in a position to confirm what they were targeting,” the SP added.

Information about blast

Meanwhile, police sources said that law enforcement agencies including special branch had informed the Rawalpindi police about possible terrorist attacks on military installations in the garrison city. However, due to lack of coordination between police high-ups and station house officers, the police failed to stop the RA Bazaar blast that left 13 including eight army personnel dead and more than 30 injured.

12 Afghans held   

Meanwhile, the police on Wednesday continued search operations in various localities of the garrison city and arrested 12 Afghan nationals for illegally staying in Pakistan.

A Rawalpindi police spokesman said that the Naseerabad police and Racecourse police arrested a dozen Afghans in all for overstaying in Pakistan. The police have registered FIRs against the nabbed Afghans nationals.

“During search operations we arrested any Afghans who failed to provide valid visas or refugee cards,” said Naseerabad Station House Officer Raja Masadaq.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2014.