By our correspondent
KARACHI: Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials in Karachi say they have arrested a suspected suicide bomber linked to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in what they describe as a major disruption of a planned attack network in the city.
According to a CTD spokesperson, the arrested suspect, identified as Salman, was a close associate of a militant commander known as Zaffran, who was previously killed in an encounter with security forces. Authorities say Zaffran carried a bounty of 10 million rupees.
Officials allege the suspect had been tasked with facilitating a major suicide bombing operation in Karachi, and that additional attackers linked to the same network were expected to enter the city.
During the arrest and subsequent search operation, investigators say they recovered a suicide vest, photographs of sensitive installations, and maps of potential target sites. The CTD also claimed the suspect had previously been involved in attacks in the SITE industrial area, where foreign nationals were injured in a shooting incident.
The agency further stated that some of the suspect’s associates had already been killed in earlier operations, including an attack on a Frontier Corps checkpoint in Quetta and a strike on a police training centre in Dera Ismail Khan.
Officials said the suspect had received training in Afghanistan and was acting on instructions from a commander identified as Maulvi Mukhlis Yar, along with another associate known as Idris alias Asadullah. They alleged the group had also been involved in targeted killings before planning further attacks in Karachi.
