Quetta suicide bomber was Afghan citizen: CTD

ISLAMABAD: The suicide atacker who blew up an explosives-laden vehicle at the Serena Hotel in Queta was an Afghan citizen as his fingerprints did not match those in the records of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials said.

Another Afghan national could be living somewhere in Queta as two men had reportedly crossed over into Pakistan, they said.

“According to our information, two terrorists crossed the Afghan border and one of them carried out the hotel atack,” said a CTD official. “We are making all-out efforts to find the second terrorist.”

The CTD officials said that some important evidence had been found from the parking lot of the hotel where the blast took place. “Three teams comprising senior and experienced security personnel from various agencies are conducting an investigation into the atack based on the evidence found and other information,” one of them said.

The CTD also issued a security alert which said the banned Tehrik-e-taliban Pakistan (TTP) was apparently planning to kidnap important personalities and members of the business community for ransom.

An official message said a group of six persons had been formed to kidnap people for ransom. The leader of this group is named Makamal Afridi and it includes two Afridis, two Swatis and two Mohmands.

According to officials, orders have already been issued to all divisional officers to help foil the terrorist plan, and security personnel have been put on high alert across Balochistan.

Meanwhile, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) has said that more than 19,000 social media accounts had been taken down for inciting hate and spreading terrorism in Pakistan.

Google, Facebook, and Twiter had taken down the 19,727 accounts involved in spreading hate and terrorism, the Nacta said.

As many as 9,633 pages were spreading religious hatred, while 10,094 social media accounts were promoting terrorism and were blocked on the request of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The Nacta said five websites, spreading terrorism-related material, were also blocked, adding a total of 24,038 social media-related complaints were filed in 2020.

The development comes ater services of social media plaforms Twiter, Facebook, Youtube, Whatsapp, and Telegram were blocked for four hours in Pakistan on April 16.

“In order to maintain public order and safety, access to certain social media applications has been restricted temporarily,” PTA had said in its explanation regarding the suspension of services.