Two Islamic State campaigners arrested in Peshawar

Published May 16, 2015
Police patrolling to avert any untoward incident at Peshawar's  University Road — ONLINE/file
Police patrolling to avert any untoward incident at Peshawar's University Road — ONLINE/file

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed to have arrested two campaigners of the self-styled Islamic State (IS) from Notia Bazaar Peshawar late on Friday.

Leaflets and pamphlets calling for support for proscribed IS militant organisation were also recovered from the arrested suspects.

The arrested men are affiliated to a militant organisation and were preaching for IS in Peshawar's Notia Bazaar area when they were arrested, according to CTD officials.

Read more: Islamic State a serious threat to Pakistan, Foreign secretary admits

Cases have been registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 against the campaigners.

According to initial intelligence information both the suspects were trained in Afghanistan.

Security in Peshawar was put on high alert after the incident.

Daesh — or Islamic State — had recently announced it was setting itself up for operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Attackers of the Safoora Goth carnage in Karachi last week had also left an IS pamphlet at the crime scene before fleeing on motorcycles.

Also read: 43 killed in attack on bus carrying Ismailis in Karachi

Pro-IS leaflets were seen in parts of Northwest Pakistan, while slogans have appeared on walls in several cities.

The foreign office recently broke its silence regarding the Islamic State's activities inside Pakistan, admitting that the radical Islamist group posed a "serious threat" to the country.

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