ATC remands suspects in bus shooting case

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday remanded four suspects in the custody of police’s counter-terrorism department (CTD) for two weeks for interrogation in connection with the killing of 45 members of the Ismaili community in Safoora Goth bus shooting.

The judge also directed the investigators to submit a final charge-sheet against the suspects – Tahir Hussain Minhas alias Saeen, Saad Aziz, Azhar Ishrat and Hanif Nasir Ahmed – who were also ordered to be presented in court at the next hearing.

Earlier, the CTD’s personnel produced them in court to seek their remand amid tight security.

Investigation officer said on a tip-off the CTD staff arrested the suspects from the limits of the Sachal police station after an encounter on May 20. The officer said the suspects are to be interrogated in order to track down their four fleeing accomplices, identified as Umer alias Wajid, Ali Rehman, Abdullah alias Mansoori and Tayyab.

They are also to be questioned regarding provision of illegal arms and grenades to them and their usage in any other act of terrorism while the chemical examination of the seized weapons and explosives is to be conducted. The investigation officer requested the judge to grant physical custody of the suspects to the CTD staff till June 20 to complete the probe.

The judge, however, allowed their physical custody for two weeks after which they should be produced in the court and final charge-sheet be submitted against them.

The suspects were produced in connection with cases registered against them under Sections 353, 324, 427 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 23(i)(A) of the Arms Act, read with the Sections 4/5 of the Explosives Act and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.


Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2015.