KARACHI: Police claimed on Sunday to have arrested a dentist allegedly linked to Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) after an “encounter”, according to officials.

Police said that they received a tip-off that the “AQIS militant” identified as Dr Mohammed Usman Khan was present in a street behind Shahabudin Market with his motorbike with the intention to “commit an act of terror”.

The policemen who rushed there in a mobile to arrest the suspect motioned him to stop but instead he opened fire on the van and a bullet hit the vehicle’s bonnet but he was soon arrested after a short chase at around 3am, claimed a police officer.

He claimed to have seized a Kalashnikov, a motorbike, three mobile phones, original CNIC and Rs200 from the suspect and said he failed to produce licence of the weapon and documents of the motorbike.

“Police have registered an FIR under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 324 (attempt to commit qatl-i-amd) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with 7-ATA (anti-terrorism act) and 23 (1) A (whoever acquires, possesses, carries or controls any firearm or ammunition in infringement of Section 3, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 14 years and with fine) of the Sindh Arms Act against the suspect,” SSP-Investigation (South) Faizullah Korejo told Dawn.

The police said the suspect belonged to AQIS.

The counterterrorism department official, Raja Umer Khattab, said that Usman was a dentist and his wife was also a dentist. “He is a facilitator for AQIS,” he said.

“He had links with AQIS operators Haris and Ali Rehman, alias Tona, in the country,” he said, adding that Haris was arrested in Punjab recently.

“Saad Aziz, main accused of the Safoora bus carnage in which 43 members of the Ismaili community were killed is also ‘familiar’ with Dr Usman,” said Mr Khattab who was instrumental in arresting the accused in the case. But he hastened to add that the suspect had no direct role in the Safoora carnage.

Though police claimed to have arrested Dr Usman after an “encounter” early on Sunday, sources disclosed that the suspect had been in the custody of law enforcement agencies for a “considerable period”.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2016