RAWALPINDI, Oct 21: The security agencies, investigating into a foiled bid to fire rockets in the vicinity of the Parliament House and explosion in Pindi park, have traced the ‘mastermind’ of the episodes, who is son of a retired senior army officer, Dawn has learnt.
The security agencies had been hunting for the mastermind after eight people who the interrogators believe are involved in the rocket fire attempt were captured and a large quantity of weapons was recovered from their possession.
There were 19 rockets out of which eight were recovered unexploded by the security personnel from near the Parliament House and Zero Point. The remaining were later recovered from other places on the indication by the accused during interrogation, source said.
They said the joint investigation team comprising officials of security agencies and police had finalised their inquiry report which would be presented to President Gen Pervez Musharraf and the interior secretary in a couple of days.
The source said two of those arrested, Nadeem Yousuf and Asadullah, were experts in rocket/weapon manufacturing. The two including the ‘mastermind’ had close links with a banned Jihadi group and the others with a religious political party, they added.
Those arrested were remanded in police custody for seven days on Saturday by the judge of Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court. They will be produced before the court on October 28.
Those arrested were identified as Javaid Wain, Nadeem Yousuf, Asadullah, Abid Bashir, Khyzir Hayat, Sikandar Ali, Saadat Shahzad and Tariq Ali.
Two rockets were defused by police on Oct 6, the day after an explosion in a big park of Rawalpindi close to the president’s camp office. The explosion sent a wave of panic and fear across the country and sparked security alert.
The military authorities had said that the blast in Rawalpindi park was not related to President Musharraf or his residence, Army House.
