RAWALPINDI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday claimed to have arrested three members of a banned outfit who were allegedly planning to target Islamabad Stock Exchange (ISE) and had earlier been involved in four of the five terrorist attacks in the garrison city since Jan 2020.

A spokesman for the CTD Punjab in a press release said the terrorists were planning to carry out a bomb blast at the ISE.

However, the CTD did not disclose the whereabouts of the suspects arrested a day after the fifth terrorist attack in Rawalpindi on Sunday.

The spokesman said on Dec 4 at about 1pm a bomb blast ripped through Usman General Store near Crystal Line Bus Stand at Pirwadhai, damaging the shop. A man identified as Afzal Khan lost his life and seven other people were injured, one of them still in a critical condition. A rickshaw parked in front of the store was also damaged. This was the fourth blast in the city since Jan 2020.

On Jan 11, two hand grenades were lobbed on Adiala Road which killed a citizen, Asif Ali, and left more than a dozen people injured. The CTD registered an FIR but the perpetrators could not be traced.

The second incident occurred in Kabarri Bazaar Saddar on March 12 where two grenades were lobbed in front of a shop. The blast left a man, Nadeem, dead and six other people injured. On June, 12, the third blast took place at the stall of a fruit vendor, Arifeen, at Koila Centre Saddar, injuring him along with eight other people.

The spokesman said terrorists did not leave any traces in these incidents and even long-term investigations could not trace them. Thousands of CCTV cameras have been analysed but to no avail.

He said a door-to-door survey was also conducted to see if a self-radicalised actor was involved but this proposition also did not bear any fruit. Terrorist organisations were analysed to trace their involvement but no clues were found. However, the CTD officers did not give up investigations.

The spokesman said on Dec 4 the perpetrator was caught on the camera of the Usman General Store while placing a bomb in front of it. The CCTV footage was analysed which led to the recognition of the terrorist.

The CTD said finally on Dec 14 the camera trail led the CTD officers to Adiala-Kharakan Road along Soan River hideout of the main suspected terrorist.

The spokesman claimed that the suspect was in possession of explosives when arrested. His two accomplices were also rounded up along with explosives.

The spokesman said in the preliminary investigation, the main suspect revealed that he used to get orders from his handler based in Afghanistan. He used to send video clips of the blast to his handler and in return received funds from him. The suspect received explosives through his accomplices just a couple of days before the planned blast.

The spokesman said the suspect also disclosed that he had committed three earlier blasts in Rawalpindi and used two hand grenades in the first incident at Adiala Road.

Similarly, he had used two hand grenades in the second incident at Kabarri Bazaar and explosive landmines in the third and fourth incidents.

The suspect also told the investigators that he had plans to carry out more terrorist attacks in Rawalpindi and Islamabad in the near future. His next target was the ISE for which he had completed a recce of the building.

The CTD said the suspect told the investigators that he had planned to carry out more terror activities in the twin cities, adding he had lived in Rawalpindi from 2013 to 2017.

A case has been registered in the CRD police station. The recoveries included explosives, detonators, safety fuse wire, cell phones and other articles. Investigation continues to unearth the network of the terrorists, it added.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2020