Militants copped: Sindh police claim foiling terror plot

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants held and large explosives recovered

KARACHI: Crime Investigation Department of the Sindh police claimed to have foiled a major act of terrorism during Muharram 9th and 10th by arresting a would-be suicide bomber along with his four comrades.

The arrests were made during a targeted raid conducted by CID’s Anti-Extremist Cell in Kunwari Colony area of Manghopir – an area notorious for harbouring militants.

The arrests were disclosed during a press conference held at AEC office in Garden Police Headquarters on Sunday night. The suspects in custody were identified as Azeem Ahmed Shaikh, Shahjahan alias Ahmed Ali, Farhan alias Guddu, Imran Hussain and Muhammad Shakir.

AEC in-charge Ali Raza informed the media that the suspects belong to banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. The officer also claimed to have recovered a large cache of weapons and bombs from their possession. The retrieved materials included 60 kilos of explosives, an explosive-laden motorcycle, ten ball bombs, six locally made bombs, four Kalashnikovs and five TT pistols.

AEC in-charge claimed that the militants were preparing for the attacks on main processions of Muharram 9th and 10th in Karachi. “For this purpose, they also prepared an explosive-laden motorcycle to carry out an attack,” Raza explained. “The arrested suspect Shaikh had to be dispatched for a suicide bombing along with a motorcycle.”

He said that they have also been involved in over 15 cases of political and sectarian targeted killings, adding that the suspects have also conducted a number of attacks on law enforcement agencies. The group was involved in hiring youths from Karachi and sending them to Waziristan for the militancy training, the officer added.

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