KARACHI, April 12: The anti-extremism cell of the crime investigation department (CID) on Friday claimed to have arrested a man described by them as a mastermind of the Abbas Town bombing along with his three accomplices and seized explosives and ammunition from his possession.

Addressing a press conference here at the Garden CID office, SSP Aslam Khan said that bombing ‘mastermind’ Aslam Mehsud, Abbas Khan, Rasool Khan and Ali Zaman were arrested in a raid in Sultanabad in Manghopir.

Hand grenades, guns and explosive material were also recovered from their possession, he said.

During interrogation, the suspect disclosed that they belonged to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s Khan Zaman group in Karachi.

The prime suspect, Aslam Mehsud, was the brain behind the Abbas Town bombing while he was also commanding a militant wing of the Khan Zaman group in Karachi, SSP Aslam Khan added.

Earlier, when the police launched a crackdown on the suspects involved in the Abbas Town bombing, Aslam Mehsud along with his accomplices had fled, the SSP added.

The CID police recovered 125kg of explosive material, one AK-47 assault rifle, eight hand grenades and three TT pistols from the possession of the suspects.

SSP Aslam said the suspects had also planned to attack the MQM headquarters, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and US consulate.