KARACHI - The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh police Friday claimed to have arrested a key suspect involved in the deadly suicide blast which claimed over 80 lives and wounded more than 300 people at Sehwan Sharif shrine on February 16. The key suspect namely Nadir Ali alias Murshid was accused of being involved in the deadly bombing at shrine of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sindh’s Sehwan in February this year.

CTD DIG Amir Farooqui, during a press conference, who was flanked by CTD Operations SSP Munir Shaikh on Friday afternoon, claimed to have arrested Nadir Ali alias Murshid a key suspect of the Sehwan bombing. “The suspect had provided the assistance to the suicide bomber,” DIG Farooqui explained. SSP Farooqi further said that the accused also provided accommodation to the bomber in Sindh and Baluchistan.”

Farooqui explained that the arrest was made after intelligence agencies received a tip regarding his whereabouts. “He was moving from Balochistan to Karachi and was arrested from the Manghopir area while riding a motorcycle. Explosives and arms were also recovered from his possession,” he said.

The accused belongs to Daesh and confessed to have facilitated the militants that he along with his accomplices including Ghulam Murtaza alias Doctor, Safiullah and Barar Brohi (suicide bomber) carried out an attack on a shrine at Sehwan Sharif.

“They had plotted to carry out the terrorist activity at the shrine in February at Dera Murad Jamali in Balochistan. Some more of their accomplices – Aijaz, Tanvir, Farooq Bangloi and Zulqarnain were also accompanied by them,” explained DIG Farooqui. “The arrested accused had led the bombing at the shrine as he knew the area and reached the Sehwan Sharif while taking a suicide bomber and Safiullah along with him through a public bus from Kashmore a day before the bombing.”

The officer further said that the suspects took a room on rent near the shrine and then assisted the suicide bomber, adding that the arrested accused, however, later was provided with a bag containing a suicide jacket by the co-accused in the case, Ghulam Murtaza alias Doctor.  The accused Nadir informed his accomplice, Mustafa that 6:30pm would be the time of the bombing because it is the time of loadshedding.

“The accused Safiullah himself helped the suicide bomber in wearing the suicide vest at a rented room near the shrine. After the load shedding, the suspects including a suicide bomber moved towards the shrine and dropped bomber inside a shrine. DIG Farooqui further said that the suspect’s including Safiullah, Mustafa and Nadir later travelled towards the Safiullah’s residence in Punjab.

The accused further confessed that the accused Mustafa alias Doctors was recently killed in security forces operation in Mastung area of Balochistan. The CTD officials also claimed to have recovered 400 grams of explosive material, two hand grenades, one remote, a pistol and other material used in making the bombs.

CM ANNOUNCES REWARD FOR CTD

Appreciating the services of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali has announced Rs 5 million reward for the team participated in the arrest. He congratulated the police, the CTD, the Rangers and other concerned agencies for successfully working out the case.