PESHAWAR: The Coun­ter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday clai­med that they had foiled a terror bid and arrested two men allegedly working for Afghan intelligence.

According to a CTD official, the men were planning to bomb densely populated areas of the provincial capital in order to cause widespread destruction.

The suspects, Atiqullah and Abdul Saboor, were identified as Afghans who were working for the National Directorate of Security (NDS). The official said both men were held in the Regi area on the outskirts of Peshawar, close to Khyber Agency. The official added that they seized an explosive device weighing three kilograms planted in a computer’s central processing unit. They also seized hand-grenades and other weapons.

He said the CTD had sei­zed video footage of densely populated areas, where the suspects were apparently planning attacks. He said they were also planning to target a seminary in the Tehhkal area. He said the men were receiving Rs100,000 per month from the NDS and being controlled from Jalalabad.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2016