Ten terrorists, facilitators involved in attack on Chinese engineers in Shangla arrested CTD says all arrested belonged to banned TTP
Vehicle used in suicide bombing was prepared in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR, (NNI): The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has succeeded in arresting 10 terrorists and their facilitators, who were involved in the killings of five Chinese engineers in a suicide bombing in Bisham, Shangla in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) around a week ago.
Bisham suicide attack on Chinese nationals was planned in Afghanistan, sources familiar to the development said Monday.
The joint committee of police and CounterTerrorism Department (CTD) has forwarded its report to the federal government, reportedly stating that the attack was planned in Afghanistan.
They further said, the CCTV footage of the incident has been availed, while investigation is underway if the jammers were activated to ensure the security of Chinese nationals during their movement.
Information is being collected regarding threats to the foreigners, the report further said.
Sources in the CTD stated that those taken into custody belonged to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a defunct organization.
The suicide bomber, they disclosed, belonged to Afghanistan and the commander who had brought him here was also in the CTD custody.
Sources informed that four facilitators of the terrorists had also been arrested, while the explosive-laden vehicle was also brought from Afghanistan.
Giving further details, they said that the vehicle entered Pakistani territory at Chaman from where it went to Dera Ismael Khan and then to Chakdara. The driver was paid Rs250,000 in fare.
Sources revealed that the cell phone SIM of the suicide bomber led to the arrests of some key terrorists and their collaborators.
Furthermore, they said that the vehicle used in the suicide bombing remained parked at a petrol pump near Shangla for 10 days; for which the petrol pump owner charged them Rs500 per day.
They went on to say that one of the persons who helped bring the vehicle from Chaman to Chakdara had been taken into custody from Balochistan.
Sources informed that Hazrat Bilal, the mastermind of the attack, was also involved in yet another attack on the Chinese nationals at Dasu a few years ago, and expressed the hope that soon Bilal would be taken into custody as well.
A suicide bomber had rammed his explosiveladen car into a vehicle at Basham, killing five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver, police and government officials said.