CTD claims killing key suspect involved in KPO attack, Abbas Town blast

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Sindh police on Wednesday claimed to have killed a suspect allegedly belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and involved in the attack on the Karachi Police Office (KPO) and deadly bombing in Abbas Town.

The suspect, according to officials of the CTD, was killed during an encounter that took place on the Northern Bypass within the limits of the Mochko police station on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday. The officials said that a few days ago, the Sindh home department had issued a threat alert regarding the slain terrorist, stating that he had been sent to Karachi with a special task to initiate terrorist activities and was re-establishing his network in the city.

In response to the threat alert, the CTD and federal intelligence agencies began searching for him in the city through informers and intelligence sources. The operation on the Northern Bypass was conducted after law enforcers received information about his presence in the area. The terrorist was found standing, apparently waiting for someone, and began firing at the police to avoid arrest when he saw the police party.

As the police returned fire, the terrorist was injured and fell on the ground, CTD officials said, adding that one of the bullets fired by the terrorist also hit a police officer's bulletproof vest, due to which he was unharmed. A 9mm pistol was found on the suspect.

The injured man died due to excessive bleeding while he was being shifted to the hospital. The body was moved to the Civil Hospital, Karachi, where CTD DIG Asif Aijaz Shaikh and other officers also arrived.

Speaking to the media, the DIG identified the slain terrorist as 35-year-old Umar Farooq, alias Fareedullah, alias Doctor, son of Shahrooz Khan. Farooq was the mastermind of the terrorist attack on the KPO in February 2023 and was also involved in the March 2013 bomb blast in Abbas Town, DIG Shaikh explained.

“The suspect killed in the shootout was associated with TTP,” the officer told the media, adding that the CTD was looking for his more comrades in Karachi. According to the CTD, 10 cases were registered against Farooq at different police stations between 2013 and 2014.

In 2014, he was arrested and incarcerated but was later acquitted, after which he moved to Afghanistan. He was wanted in cases registered at the Mobina Town, Sacchal, Ittehad Town, Surjani Town, Gulshan-e-Maymar and CTD police stations.