Two bombers plotting suicide attacks on Fazlur Rehman, Aimal Wali arrested

In a successful operation, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Friday averted an attempt to sabotage the February 8 general elections after it arrested two would-be suicide bombers planning to target Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Awami National Party’s (ANP) leader Aimal Wali Khan.

Addressing a news conference, CTD Superintendent of Police (SP) Najam-ul-Hussain announced the arrest of two suspected suicide bombers affiliated with Daesh Khorasan from the Matni area.

He said that the apprehended terrorists were planning suicide attacks targeting key political figures.

According to the SP, the arrested individuals were plotting a suicide attack on Fazl. Furthermore, it was disclosed that the terrorists had intentions to target the ANP leader through a suicide bombing.

The arrested suspects had reportedly visited the JUI-F’s centre and investigations revealed that they had undergone training in the Paktia region of Afghanistan.

During the security operation, authorities recovered suicide jackets, three hand grenades, and propaganda material associated with Daesh. The bomb disposal unit (BDU) has successfully neutralised the weapons and explosive devices.

The SP disclosed that the outlawed organisation had previously been linked to targeted killings of individuals representing various schools of thought in the region six months ago.

In a related development, authorities have made progress in identifying the individual responsible for planting a bomb on the Warsak Road. SP CTD said that the arrest of the terrorist involved in the Warsak Road bomb blast was imminent.

It is pertinent to mention here that the JUI-F chief's convoy was fired upon from multiple sides in Dera Ismail Khan's Yarik interchange last month. He, however, remained unhurt in the attack.