Along with other security forces, the CTD conducted 'Operation Silence' in Bara tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the officials received information about presence of a terrorist's network, who were also involved in attacks on a police station and police personnel as well as in other terrorist activities, and killed three of them, according to the report.

The suicide bomber identified as Ahsaan was a resident of Peshawar and he was missing since 2020, it said, adding he likely shifted to Afghanistan.

Police collected data and information about another handler, Hassan Shah, who assisted Ahsaan in the attack on the mosque. He belonged to KP's Khyber tehsil.

The suicide blast, that detonated during the Friday prayers, claimed lives of 62 people in Peshawar's Kocha Risaldar area, while at least 37 people were under treatment in Lady Reading hospital, as per last week's reports.

The militant Islamic State group claimed the responsibility of suicide bombing in Peshawar.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid issued a video statement and said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police and investigation bodies identified three suspects of the Peshawar blast and have “closed in on them.”