LAHORE: Since high-level investigations into the Wagah border suicide attack continue amid reports of presence of four more would-be suicide bombers in the city, the law-enforcement agencies captured some ‘terror’ suspects, including an Afghan national, and held an informal meeting of a Joint Investigation Team on Wednesday.

Police teams, which conducted extensive search and sweep operations across the city with particular focus on Cantonment division and border areas, have so far taken into custody 35 people having ‘direct’ or ‘indirect’ contacts with three militant organizations which may be involved in the terrorist attack.

Sources in the LEA told Dawn that officials were hunting for four more would-be suicide bombers who could strike any big gathering, including upcoming two phases of a Tableeghi moot, the chehlum processions of Hazrat Hussain (AS).

They said the Jamaatul Ahrar, a faction of the TTP, which was most likely be involved in the Wagah border attack, had rejected a claim of Jundullah’s involvement in a tweet on social media.

Lahore Deputy Inspector General of Police (Investigation) Sahibzada Shahzad Sultan said a meeting of the JIT, which is not officially notified, was held at his office which was attended by officers of all relevant agencies, including Rangers, to review the so far investigation process.

He said the two police teams led by the Crimes Investigation Agency and Cantonment SP (Investigation) were already working on the case.

The DIG said the investigation in the light of crime scene evidence suggested that terrorists were more than one at the time of Wagah border blast, but it was still to be determined if they had to carry out more blasts.

He refused to comment on CCTV footages grabbed by the Rangers soon after the incident and the involvement of the actual militant organization, saying he could not speak prematurely on the pace of investigation.

A CIA official said that JIT members belonging to ISI, MI, IB, Rangers, CTD and police reviewed the investigation process.

He said that forensic reports of the seized explosives, including a suicide vest, ball bearings, CCTV footages and other evidence material, would be available on Thursday (today), adding that witnesses’ statements of the injured and others had also been collected by police teams.

The official said that investigations teams were mainly focusing on direct and indirect links of arrested suspects with banned organizations Jundullah, TTP, Jamaatul Ahrar and Hakimullah Mehsud faction of the TTP which separately claimed the responsibility of the blast.

Meanwhile, police seized an inactive mortar shell which was detected by brick kiln owner Fazal Zaman near Ghurki Hospital.

Zaman alerted police about the presence of a mortar shell which was handed over to the bomb disposal squad by police. The BDS officials found the shell inactive.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2014