The city police’s specialised unit Friday claimed to have arrested six suspects, including the leader of the Taliban associated group known as Al-Mukhtar, and recovered a huge cache of arms and explosives from their possession.

The arrested suspects included ringleader Asghar alias Omar, while five of his accomplices were identified as Zahid alias Osama, Abid, Usman alias Hamza, Shakir and Ali Akbar.

According to Anti-Extremist Cell (AEC) of the Crime Investigation Department (CID), the suspects were involved in at least eight cases of terror activities in the city, including the attack on the rummy club in which 22 people lost their lives, while another 50 were wounded when a powerful bomb blast occurred on April, this year.

The AEC also claimed to have recovered 50 kilogrammes of explosive material, three hand grenades, 10 mini rocket grenades, three time/remote control bombs, five kilogrammes of ball bearings and nut bolts, 20 feet detonating wire, four remote control detonating switches, five kilogrammes locally made bomb, a time remote control switch, 30 litre hydrogen peroxide, five kalashnikovs, a TT pistol and over one hundred ammunitions.

Speaking at a press conference, SSP Chaudhry Aslam said that the group was active in the city against wine shops, gambling dens and cinemas, and it had attacked several wine shops and gambling dens in different parts of the city.

He said that the arrested men belonged to Al-Mukhtar group, linked to Al-Badar Mansoor group. He said that AEC team arrested them when they were planning to carry out more terror activities in the metropolis.

Earlier, CID (Operations) arrested the group’s alleged member Mustafa Rahman Orakzai alias Yaqoob Commando after an encounter on Super Highway.

According to SSP Aslam, group leader Asghar is the expert of making bombs and had got training of bomb making in Miran Shah, Waziristan. He said all the bombs used in the terror activities in Karachi were made by him.

The SSP said the accused were planning to carry out attack on the exhibition being held in Korangi and had also planned to target the owner of the rummy club over refusal of the extortion money while they also made a plan to attack all the wine shops, gambling dens and cinemas in Karachi.

Courtesy: Dailytimes