Two alleged high-profile terrorists arrested in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: The security agencies on Friday arrested two high-profile alleged terrorists involved in the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl and attack on former President retired General Pervez Musharraf.

According to sources, the security agencies in joint raids on the outskirts of Mansehra arrested Azeem Khan, alias Qari Khaksar, a commander of the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Mohammad Anwar, a member of the Islamic State (Daesh). Both were shifted to an undisclosed location.

The sources said Azeem Khan, who had recently arrived from Karachi, used to train militants in the area of Pak-Afghan border. He was involved in the kidnapping and later beheading of the South Asian bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal, Daniel Pearl, in Karachi.

The sources claimed Azeem Khan was also involved in planning and executing the attack on former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

Azeem Khan is considered to be the mastermind of the suicide attack in Hazarganji locality of Quetta where as many as 143 people were killed. According to the sources, he was also involved in subversive activities across the country, mostly in Karachi and Punjab.

Mohammad Anwar is wanted by the law-enforcement agencies in an attack on the bus service terminal and killing of three policemen in Peshawar.

The sources said that Azeem Khan and Mohammad Anwar were arrested on the basis of information obtained from militants who were arrested earlier this month in Mansehra. District Police Officer Zaibullah Khan told a press conference that terrorists moved to Mansehra from different parts of the country, particularly from Karachi, because they were planning to set up a sleeper cell for undertaking terrorist attacks. "They were tracked down by the law-enforcement agencies and handled with an iron fist to foil their designs," he added.