KARACHI: Suicide bomber’s brother examined: US diplomat killing case
By Tahir Siddiqui
KARACHI, Non 8: An anti-terrorism court recorded on Wednesday partial deposition of the suicide bomber’s brother in the US diplomat killing case. Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5, who is conducting the trial inside Central Prison, put off the hearing after special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum examined two more prosecution witnesses, including Raja Mohammed Idrees, the younger brother of suicide bomber Raja Mohammed Tahir.
Two Al Qaeda activists — Usman Ghani and Anwarul Haq — are being tried for masterminding the suicide car bombing to kill US diplomat.
Four people were killed on March 2 this year when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into the diplomat’s vehicle yards away from the US consulate-general around 9:05am. Consulate official David Foy, his Pakistani driver Iftikhar and Lance Naik Zafar of Rangers were killed instantly.
The blast that took place in a narrow lane between the Marriott Hotel and Naval Surgery Hospital also left over 50 others wounded. The body of the suicide bomber, later identified as Mohammed Tahir, was also torn into pieces.
The brother of the suicide bomber deposed before the court that he was a student at a religious institution. He said in the first week of July he was told by his colleagues that two visitors were asking for him. He said he came out of his institution and found two men, including accused Anwarul Haq, waiting for him.
The suicide bomber’s brother submitted that he went with the two visitors to a nearby juice centre where Anwarul Haq told him that his brother Tahir had embraced martyrdom. He said Anwar also greeted him for the “martyrdom” of his brother and gave him Rs10,000.
Prosecution witness Idrees further stated that on Aug 26 he identified accused Anwarul Haq before a judicial magistrate. He said he had also recognized the photograph of his brother Tahir before a judicial magistrate
The court rose for the day while the examination-in-chief of Idrees was still continuing. The judge would record the remaining statement of the suicide bomber’s brother on Nov 13. The judge summoned the judicial magistrate who had conducted the identification parade.
Earlier, SPP Mazhar Qayyum examined police constable Zakir Rehman as prosecution witness. The constable said.
The prosecution witness deposed that he reached the spot with ASI Zulfiqar of the Anti-Car Lifting Cell around 9:10am. He said he was present with the ASI when he inspected the site of blast and collected a piece of the bomber’s car. He said the piece of aluminium contained the manufacturing number of the Toyota Corolla. He said a memo for the recovery of engine plate was prepared in his presence and he signed it as a witness.
According to investigators, the explosive-laden car had been parked outside the naval establishment. When the convoy carrying the US official appeared, the bomber rammed his vehicle into the bullet-proof car. The five-door vehicle flew up into the air before landing across a concrete barrier on the pavement of Marriott.
The windowpanes of the Marriott were shattered, with splinters hitting several guests. The concrete wall of the naval establishment was partially damaged as was the rear portion of Marriott. At least 14 vehicles were also destroyed in the blast.
The investigation of the case was assigned to Inspector Tariq who got a tip-off about the identity of the suicide bomber in August.
According to the charge-sheet, an informer gave the information to the investigating officer that Mohammed Tahir son of Raja Afzal had left his Landhi house on March 2 after Fajr prayers and later his family was informed about 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 he had also been imprisoned in Afghanistan.
He said his son did not return home since he left after Fajr prayers on March 2. 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 visits.
Raja Afzal also told the investigator that the same man contacted his another son, Idrees, who is a student at Binori Town Madressah, in July to tell him that Tahir had been martyred.
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.
