Two Al Qaeda leaders among eight suspected militants
ISLAMABAD: The counterterrorism department (CTD) in Pakistan’s Punjab said Saturday it foiled a “major terror plot” by arresting eight militants, including two prominent Al Qaeda leaders, following multiple intelligence-based operations across the province.
A CTD statement informed 74 operations were conducted in different districts, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, and Gujranwala, to effectively deal with potential militant violence. Subsequently, the authorities interrogated dozens of suspects before arresting eight of them.
“The eight [detained] terrorists had planned [violent activities] across the province and wanted to target important installations and religious places,” the CTD statement said.
It added the militants belonged to various banned organizations, including Al Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Daesh, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Following the arrests, several prohibited items were confiscated from the suspected militants, such as explosives, hand grenades, detonators and other weapons.
“The police have registered seven cases against the arrested terrorists,” the CTD said, adding these individuals had been shifted to unknown locations.
Last week, CTD Punjab had taken 13 individuals suspected of having connections with proscribed militant groups into custody. These arrests were made in an effort to thwart their planned scheme targeting various sensitive installations.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks, primarily targeting law enforcement and security personnel.
The increase in violent incidents began after the TTP unilaterally ended a fragile cease-fire with the previous administration of Shehbaz Sharif in November 2022.
A majority of militant attacks have occurred in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region and southwestern Balochistan province due to their proximity to Afghanistan.
However, the operational reach of TTP and other militant entities extend throughout the country.
