Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab arrested the facilitator of suicide attack that killed former chief minister Punjab Colonel (retired) Shuja Khanzada.

According to reports, the CTD Punjab, after receiving “secret information” regarding the presence of the facilitator in a Kalar Saidan area of Rawalpindi, in a joint operation with civil intelligence agency arrested the suspected facilitator who was identified as Abdullah Khan. Huge cache of explosive material was also recovered from the suspect’s possession.

The accused is a residence of Dhadyal area of District Mirpur, Azad Kashmir.

In August 2015, Shuja Khanzada was killed in a suicide attack on his political office in Shadi Khan village, Attock, along with 16 others.

Two suicide bombers affiliated with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) carried out the bombing, a provincial government official had earlier said. Two additional suicide bombers had been deputed to Lahore to attack Khanzada’s residence, the official said, but they were recalled after the Attock attack.

According to the CTD spokesperson the accused, during the investigation, revealed that the explosive was being transported to Rawalpindi and Islamabad for terror activities.

The accused is the active member of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and TTP and has received training from Afghanistan.

Spokesperson said that the accused was the in-charge of Madrassa Ibrahimiya, Siakh, adding that his father-in-law, Masaood-ul-Haq Siakhwi, and his brother-in-law, Ibrahim Siakhwi, were the proclaimed offenders.

He said that during the initial investigation the accused revealed that he had facilitated the suicide attackers Hamza Shabbir alias Hafiz and another proclaimed offender Qari Sohail. He also revealed that he had provided residence to both the terrorists multiple times, the spokesperson said and added that Qari Sohail fled to Afghanistan.

The accused admitted that he had given refuge to Qaisar Mustafa alias Captain Noman — the prime suspect and master mind of the suicide attack on slain Colonel (rtd) Shuja— who was killed in an encounter in Rawalpindi in October 2015.

Spokesperson said that the accused had been facilitating several other terrorists and his Madrassa was used as a store for explosives. Further investigation are underway, he added.