AIG says plan formulated in Afghanistan, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of TTP, behind the attack
\nHaqnawaz Shinwari
\nPESHAWAR
\nIn a notable progress in the investigation into the Peshawar Police Lines mosque, police have finally traced the mastermind and facilitator behind the bloodiest attack.
\nAddressing an important press conference here on Friday, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Additional Inspector General (AIG) Shaukat Abbas and DIG CTD Sohail Khalid revealed that a suicide bomber who accompanied the key bomber linked to the Peshawar mosque bombing has also been arrested.
\n\u201c A second suicide bomber was also prepared to carry out the attack on the moque had the first one failed,\u201d AIG Shaukat Abbas claimed.
\nMr Abbas asserted that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)\u2019s group known as Jamaat-ul-Ahrar was behind the attack, adding the plan was formulated in Afghanistan.
\nCTD chief furthered that the arrested bomber named Imtiaz, who remained under training in Afghanistan\u2019s province of Kundus alongwith the key suspect Qari.
\nAccording to a press release issued by the CTD that Qari, who blew himself up in the Peshawar Police Lines mosque, was the resident of tribal district Mohmand.
\nIt said that Qari, the organizational name of the bomber, and accused Imtiaz obtained suicide training from Akhtoka area of Afghanistan under the supervision of Molvi Basir.
\nThe law enforcement agencies senior officials have claimed that the centre was also providing training another five to six suicides.
\n\u201c The arrested suspect Imtiaz and suicide bomber Qari travelled to Pakistan from Afghanistan together,\u201d CTD DIG added and said that information have been obtained that the mastermind of both of above-mentioned suiciders was Ghaffar who was in contact with Qari before the attack.
\nAIG Shaukat Abbas told reporters that as soon as the attack took place, the law enforcement agencies launched a comprehensive investigation and after almost two and a half months the mastermind and handler of the bomber were traced and their organization was also unearthed.
\nMr Abbas maintained that the law enforcement agencies identified the suicide bomber with the help of some 300 cameras and traced handler and prime mastermind behind the attack.
\nIt is pertinent to mentio here that at least 84 people, many of them policemen, were martyred and more than 233 sustained injuries after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a mosque in Peshawar\u2019s Police Lines during the afternoon prayers on January 30th.
\nThe mosque where the attack took place is considered a highly fortified compound in the provincial metropolis. It includes the headquarters of KP police force and the offices of CTD.
\nThe blast was so powerful that it had brought down the upper storey of the mosque, trapped almost all the worshipers in the rubble.
\nThe attack was the worst terrorist act in Peshawar since March last year, when a suicide bombing at a mosque during Friday prayers killed at least 58 people and injured nearly 200.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AIG says plan formulated in Afghanistan, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of TTP, behind the attack Haqnawaz Shinwari PESHAWAR In a notable progress in the investigation into the Peshawar Police Lines mosque, police have finally traced the mastermind and facilitator behind the bloodiest attack. Addressing an important press conference here on Friday, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Additional […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-320139","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n