KARACHI: Witnesses examined in US diplomat killing case
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 16: An anti-terrorism court put off hearing of the US diplomat killing case against two activists of Al Qaeda after cross-examination of two prosecution witnesses by one of the defence counsel.
Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 fixed Oct 18 after Mushtaq Ahmed, counsel for Usman Ghani, completed cross-examination of sub-inspector Farooq Umer and constable Manzoor Ahmed.
The Two Al Qaeda activists are being tried for masterminding suicide car bombing to kill US diplomat. Ilyas Khan, counsel for accused Anwarul Haq had cross-examined the two prosecution witnesses during the last hearing. Four people were killed on March 2 last when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into the diplomat’s vehicle yards away from the US consulate-general. The blast that took place in a narrow lane between the five-star Marriott Hotel and Naval Surgery Hospital also left over 50 others wounded.
US consulate official David Foy, his Pakistani driver Iftikhar and Lance Naik Zafar of Rangers were killed instantly.
The body of the suicide bomber, later identified as Mohammed Tahir, was also torn into pieces.
According to investigators, the explosive-laden car was parked outside the naval establishment, and when the convoy, carrying the US official appeared, the bomber rammed his vehicle into the bullet-proof car. The vehicle flew up into the air before landing across a concrete barrier on the pavement of Marriot.
Investigation of the case was assigned to Inspector Tariq who got a clue about the identity of the suicide bomber in August.
According to the charge-sheet, Mohammed Tahir son of Raja Afzal had left his Landhi house on March 2 after Fajr prayers and later his family was informed of his martyrdom.
On Aug 15, the investigation officer visited the house of the suicide bomber and recorded the statement of his father.
Raja Afzal told the investigator that his son had gone to Afghanistan for Jihad thrice and had also been imprisoned in Afghanistan. The father of the suicide bomber told the IO that a man visited his house thrice after the disappearance of his son and gave him Rs5,000, Rs8,000 and Rs10,000 during his three visits.
Raja Afzal also told the investigator that the same man contacted his another son, Idrees, who is a student at Binori Town Madrassah, in July to tell him that Tahir had embraced martyrdom.
On Aug 18, the investigation officer recorded the statement of Idrees, who also supported the statement of his father.
The brother of the suicide bomber told the IO that he knew one of his brother’s friends, Usman, who had brought his letter to the family from Afghanistan during his detention there.
