Breaking the peace: Eight injured in attack on Quick Response Force vehicle in Gulbahar

Suspected LI militants in paramilitary uniforms caught with 20kg bomb in Nasir Bagh

PESHAWAR: Eight people—five policemen and three civilians—were injured in a roadside bomb blast targeting a police mobile on GT Road near Gulbahar police station and Arbab Sikandar Khan Khalil flyover on Friday morning.

Talking to The Express Tribune, SSP Operations Dr Mian Saeed said the explosive device had been planted in a flower pot at the spot where the Quick Response Force (QRF) mobile would usually stop. “One of the flower pots placed under the flyover had been replaced with one which had a device planted inside it,” said Saeed.

All the injured were rushed to Lady Reading Hospital. Three of the five police officers were badly hurt, but none were in critical condition. Three passers-by also sustained wounds but were soon discharged. However, one of the injured civilians was arrested from the hospital by the police on suspicion. He is said to be a resident of Nowshera.

Police inspect the blast site near Gulbahar police station. PHOTOS: MUHAMMAD IQBAL/EXPRESS, PPI

An official of the bomb disposal unit said around two kilogrammes of high-grade explosives had been used in the homemade device. The bomb was remotely controlled.

“It was concealed in the flower pot; why would the police suspect anything, so they parked near it,” said the BDU officer. “These decorative items on GT Road could pose a serious challenge to law-enforcement agencies as they can be used to hide and conceal things.”

The attack took place in the morning, at peak traffic time on the busy GT Road, breaking the relatively peaceful lull in the city.

The counterterrorism department registered an FIR and started investigating the blast. CCTV footage was also taken as evidence; cameras had been installed to monitor the flow of traffic on the thoroughfare. Officials are hopeful the footage could provide leads.

Terror bid foiled

Nasir Bagh police foiled what could have potentially been the makings of a major terror attack on Friday. The police arrested four suspected terrorists with a car and 20 kilogrammes of explosive devices in Juma Khan Kalay on the outskirts of the city. Talking to The Express Tribune, a police officer said they were tipped off by an informant about the presence of four people in khasadar uniforms. The informant had said the four men were standing next to a nullah with a car, raising suspicions.

“We immediately raided the area and arrested those four people in khasadar uniforms and recovered three AK-47s and a powerful 20kg explosive device from a Suzuki Cultus,” he explained. The police said among the four people arrested, three were from Khyber Agency and one was an Afghan refugee.

“They are now being interrogated,” added the policeman. He said in all probability the suspects were members of the banned Lashker-e-Islam.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 25^th, 2015.