ATC indicts 3 suspects involved in Karachi airport attack

Suspects brought to court under tight security; Court adjourns case till March 14


Web Desk March 07, 2015
Firefighters extinguishing fire after militants attack Jinnah International Airport in Karachi on June 9, 2014. PHOTO: AFP

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday indicted three suspects involved in carrying out the Karachi airport attack in 2014, Express News reported.

On June 8, at least 37 people, including 10 terrorists, were killed after an all-night battle with militants who besieged Karachi airport’s old terminal. The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for what was the first large-scale terrorist attack at the country’s largest airport in years.

Read: TTP claims attack on ASF hostel in Karachi

The arrested suspects - Asif Zaheer, Nadeem, Sarmad Siddiqui - were brought to the court, under tight security, where the case was heard.

The ATC adjourned the case till March 14 and summoned the convicts to the court.

On March 4, ATC had sent the illicit weapon cases of two of the suspects connected with the attack to be tried in a sessions court.

Read: Karachi airport attack: Unlicensed weapon cases sent to sessions court

The suspects pleaded the judge of ATC-I to transfer their cases to regular courts. Their counsel claimed that the court had no jurisdiction to try these cases as they did not fall under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Apart from the main case registered against the attack, the two suspects were also booked under Section 23(1)(a) of the Sindh Arms Act (which relates to possession of unlicensed weapons). The judge, Bashir Ahmed Khoso, heard the arguments and granted the plea.

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