At least three suspects including a “mastermind” of the Karachi airport attack on the Chinese nationals have been arrested, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Lanjar confirmed to the media on Monday.
“The explosives used in the attack were a white-coloured chemical that had been utilised during World War II in Germany, with the total weight of the explosives estimated to be between 30 to 40 kilogrammes,” he told a press conference in Karachi.
The inspector general of Sindh and Counter-Terrorism Department officials accompanied him at the press conference.
Last month, a powerful explosion “targeting foreign nationals” just outside the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi left two Chinese dead and 17 wounded on Sunday evening.
The explosion occurred on a road leading out of the airport, specifically at a location where security personnel’s vehicles are typically parked for incoming flights. The area is usually occupied by vehicles assigned to VIP security. Eight cars were damaged in the incident.
One of the masterminds of the suicide bombing, Javed alias Sameer, and his accomplice Gul Nisa were arrested at CD Highway near Umar Goth Chowk, Karachi, during an intelligence-based operation on Sunday. The two had entered Karachi via Hub, Lanjar said.
“An investigation revealed Javed’s direct involvement in the suicide bombing, while Gul Nisa had facilitated [him],” the home minister stated and added that the woman was brought along to avoid any rigorous security checks.
The minister identified the suicide bomber as “Shah Fahad, also known as Aftab,” stating that parts of the vehicle and the licence plate were recovered from the scene. The bomber was figured out through his fingerprints since his face and much of his torso were burnt during the explosion.
“With the help of eyewitness accounts, investigators prepared sketches of accomplices of the suicide bomber,” Lanjar said and added that investigations indicated a rickshaw driver was present with the vehicle used in the attack.
The rickshaw driver’s name is “Farhan” and he was accompanied by a person named Muhammad Sharif, who was also linked to the vehicle involved in the bombing, he stated.
The three suspects still at large were identified as Danish, Gul Rehman, and Bashir Zaid, who is said to be another mastermind in the attack. He was allegedly facilitating the network from abroad. Two suspects, Farhan and Mohammed Syed, were also accomplices in the blast and both are rickshaw drivers, Lanjar said.
Investigations revealed that the car was purchased for Rs7.1 million from a showroom with the payment transferred through a bank account held by an individual named Saeed. The bank employee involved in the transaction was identified as Bilal.
The minister confirmed that the vehicle was manufactured in Hub and was taken to an area beyond Hub after purchase. It was later brought back with explosives installed in a region of Balochistan.
Lanjar told reporters that a man named Javed was responsible for handling the logistics of the operation. The suspect “entered the airport area on foot around 9pm and prior to the explosion,” the attackers were located in an outer area.
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As the Chinese convoy exited the airport, Javed, who was inside the airport, alerted the suicide attacker via phone.
“By then, the suicide attacker’s second accomplice had already left the vehicle. As the Chinese convoy reached a short distance from the airport, the suicide attacker drove the explosives-laden vehicle close to them and detonated it around 11pm,” Lanjar said.
The home minister appreciated the CTD and Sindh police for their work in uncovering the network behind the attack and also announced a Rs50 million reward for them. Lanjar added that he would recommend them for the Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal as well as the President’s Police Medal .
