ISLAMABAD: The joint operation of the capital police and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in Sihala yielded in the arrest of an alleged terrorist, affiliated with ‘Ansarul Ummah’, police claimed.

The police claimed that the arrested person is the commander of Ansarul Ummah, a front organisation of the banned outfit Harkatul Mujahideen founded by Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, who was also operating a religious seminary in Islamabad.

Acting on a tip-off, a team comprising of Superintended of Police (SP) Mohammad Ilyas and SP Liaquat Niazi, along with officials of ISI, raided the area near Rawat and arrested the alleged terrorist, identified as Tayyab alias Omar Pagal, and also recovered a pistol from his possession, the police claimed.

Tayyab, who is in his early 20s, was an active commander of the organisation. He got militancy and terrorism training in Miran Shah.

The alleged terrorist was stationed in Islamabad since October 2013, along with his other accomplices, including Shah Hussain alias Mansoor.

According to the police, the motive behind their stay in the outskirts of the capital was to conduct terrorism and target killing operation in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The police added that he was behind various terrorism activities, including a suicide attempt at Rawalpindi Iman Bargah, which killed a police officer, among other attacks in offices and houses in the surrounded areas of the capital.

The police also alleged that he supervised the collection of extortion from businessmen, on behalf of militant outfits, and also threatened them with dire consequences upon refusal to pay the extortion money.

The alleged terrorist was also found involved in smuggling illegal weapon and committing other crimes of heinous nature, the police claimed, adding that Tayyab was also an accomplice of nine other terrorists, who were arrested from various parts of Rawalpindi and Islamabad since January 2014.

Two cases were registered against him at Sihala police station under Explosives Act and on charges of murder attempt and extortion.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2014