Countering terrorism: 3 Lashkar-e-Islam men held in Peshawar

Explosives recovered from a car; house damaged in grenade attack.

PESHAWAR:

The police arrested three Lashkar-e-Islam activists on Wednesday, while they also foiled a terror bid by recovering explosives from a vehicle.

In the first incident police raided a house and arrested three people identified as Qari Waqas, Qari Abass, resident of Masho Pekay, and Zarmast, resident of Balarzai village.

Officials confirmed that all three of the arrested were active members of LeI and were involved in extortion.

“Their arrest is a big breakthrough for us,” an official of the local police station told The Express Tribune.

In a separate incident, the police recovered two hand grenades, an AK-47 rifle, a TT pistol, 82 cartridges and five kilogrammes of explosives from a car, during routine checking, on the Kohat road.

Police officials claimed that the five accused were kidnappers and had been wanted by the police on a number of charges. The accused were identified as Inayat, Shah Hussain, Osman, Sajjid Afridi and Khyal Akbar.

Meanwhile, a house was damaged in a grenade attack in the Pahripurea area.  Police said the house of Maulana Shoaib, provincial chairman of the National Committee for Interfaith Harmony, was damaged. However, no loss of life was reported. “There is nominal damage to the house,” said an official of the local police station.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2014.