Missing their mark: Suspect arrested for deadly attack on family

Allegedly confesses seven people killed by ‘accident’, as target was not present.

SWABI:

Police arrested a suspect who allegedly confessed his involvement in last week’s deadly attack on a family in Yar Hussain, Swabi that claimed seven lives and left nine others injured.

The group was travelling in a pickup van on its way to Bacha Khan International Airport to drop one family member, Adnan. When they reached Gulabad Canal, armed men opened fire, killing five people and leaving 11 others injured. Two more were reported
dead later.

DPO Swabi Sajjad Khan briefed journalists on Tuesday about the arrest and identified the suspect as Arshad, a resident of Yar Hussain. During questioning, Hussain admitted his involvement in the murders along with accomplices Aman Khan, Ayaz, and Malang.

DPO Khan said the accused had ambushed the vehicle with the intention of killing one of their enemies, Yasir, who they believed was travelling with the group. The suspects learned later that Yasir, a cousin of the deceased Adnan, was not even in the vehicle when the attack took place.

“We killed them accidently,” the accused reportedly said, adding if they knew of Yasir’s absence they would never have killed all those people.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2014.