Lahore:
Pakistan’s Punjab government on Monday claimed to have unearthed the network of all 10 suspects, like ladies, involved in the effective bomb blast outdoors the residence of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and chief of the banned Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Hafiz Saeed.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani at a joint press conference right here also mentioned that an “anti-Pakistan intelligence agency” was involved in the Johar Town bombing, but have been brief of naming it in spite of reporters’ repeated insistence.
“We have told the federal government about its (anti-Pakistan agency’s) role in the incident,” Buzdar mentioned.
“The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab Police has unearthed the network of all Pakistani and international suspects involved in the blast within 16 hours of the incident. We have arrested (10) local suspects, including women,” he mentioned.
IGP Ghani mentioned the hostile agencies had offered monetary help to the locals to carry out the terror attack.
“The mastermind of the blast has been identified. A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been formed to further probe this incident,” he mentioned.
Ghani mentioned the terrorist who planted explosives in the auto and parked it close to Saeed’s residence belongs to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, but he speaks fluent Punjabi that helped him carry out the operation right here.
“Hostile agencies can have the services of local (Pakistani) agents for terror acts easily against money. Money is given to local (Pakistani) agents in the Middle East,” the IGP mentioned, and claimed that the “basic target of the Lahore blast was the FATF conference.”
The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force, the worldwide anti-revenue laundering and terror financing watchdog, at the finish of its 5-day virtual plenary meeting on Friday last retained Pakistan in its “grey list” for failing to adequately investigate and prosecute leaders of UN-designated terror groups.
Both the Chief Minister and IGP did not disclose the names of the arrested terrorists in the press conference.
However, a senior police official told PTI that the man who planted explosives in the auto and left it outdoors Saeed’s residence has been identified as Eid Gul from the KPK province.
“Gul has been arrested from Rawalpindi and he belongs to Tahreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),” he mentioned.
Earlier, the CTD had arrested a important particular person — Peter Paul David — from Lahore whose auto was utilized in the blast.
Three persons have been killed and 21 other individuals injured when a effective auto bomb exploded outdoors Saeed’s residence at the Board of Revenue (BOR) Housing Society in Johar Town on Wednesday last, resulting in significant injuries to some police officers guarding his residence. The windows and walls of Saeed’s residence have been broken from the influence of the blast.
No group has claimed duty for the blast.
Saeed, a UN designated terrorist whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty on, has been convicted for 36 years imprisonment in 5 terror financing situations. His punishment is operating concurrently.
Saeed is serving a jail sentence at the Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore for his conviction in terror financing situations.
Saeed-led JuD is the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is accountable for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 individuals, like six Americans.
The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. He was listed below the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008.
FATF is instrumental in pushing Pakistan to take measures against terrorists roaming freely in Pakistan and applying its territory to carry out attacks in India.
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