ISLAMABAD, May 22: An alleged member of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was arrested on Sunday as four kg explosives and two live hand grenades were recovered from him, police said.

Deputy Inspector General of police (Operation) Bani Amin said police have launched a hunt for the arrested man’s accomplice who was to receive the explosives and hand grenades in Islamabad.

“The accused is a former schoolteacher and an active member of Tehrik-e-Taliban,” DIG Amin said. The accused, Ashraf Janu alias Master Abid, belongs to Nawab Shah. He was shifted to Sabzi Mandi police station.

He was arrested during checking at a police post at I.J. Principal Road. Police recovered four kilograms of explosives and the two live hand grenades from his possession. Called to the scene, the bomb disposal unit defused the grenades. The DIG said during initial investigation the accused revealed that he had got training of preparing explosives’ circuits in Afghanistan. He said he had obtained education up to intermediate and served as teacher for more than 13 years.In 1996, he along with Ghulam Mustafa Qureshi, an activist of the banned outfit, also haling from Nawab Shah, collected different donations for Taliban, according to the DIG. He also claimed having contacts with a Taliban leader, Ameer Abdul Salam, and visited Helmand in 2007.

DIG Amin said the arrested man had also taken part in attacks on Nato oil tankers in Mastung, Mach and Chaman along with his other accomplices who were from Lahore, Quetta, Miran Shah, Muzafarabad, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.— Mohammad Asghar