Special forces action: 7 terrorists arrested in Faisalabad sweep

Interrogation reveals they were linked to attack on Shuja Khanzada

FAISALABAD: As many as seven terrorists were arrested near the residence of Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan in Faisalabad, police said on Thursday.

A team of special forces arrested seven terrorists who had taken refuge only four houses away from the law minister’s Faisalabad residence.

Police spokesman Muhammad Ramzan said that the terrorists had kept themselves confined to their residence during day time and came out only at night.

Taking notice of their suspicious activities the locals informed the police who monitored their movement for three days before carrying out a raid.

The special forces conducted a raid late Wednesday night and took seven terrorists into custody.

Five of the arrested terrorists belong to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa while two are from Faisalabad.

Terrorists from Faisalabad were identified as Tariq and Shoaib Cheema, the latter being an active member of a defunct outfit. Tariq and Cheema were sent to Lahore for further investigation while the others are being interrogated in Faisalabad.

Interrogation revealed that the terrorists also facilitated suicide bomber involved in the attack on Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada in Attock last week.

The accused also revealed that Lakhkar-e-Jhangvi Punjab’s Naib Ameer Nadeem Inqlabi was the mastermind behind the Attock suicide attack and is hiding in Afghanistan, the police spokesman added.

Also, law enforcement agencies arrested two accused persons involved in attack on the late interior minister Col (r) Shuja Khanzada.

The arrested men were identified as Qari Tahir and Muhammad Zubair.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2015.