11 facilitators and terrorists linked to the suicide blast in Islamabad have been arrested, including the Afghan mastermind of the attack.
The Afghan mastermind was associated with ISIS. Security sources said that six facilitators, including two Afghan nationals, were arrested from Nowshera. Three people, including the attacker’s mother, were arrested from Rawalpindi, while another facilitator who provided information by phone was arrested from Karachi.
Security sources said ISIS planned the attack, provided training, and carried out the radicalisation. Under the patronage of the Afghan Taliban, ISIS and other terrorist organisations pose a major threat to peace.
The operation was carried out using technical and human intelligence. During the operation, a brave soldier was martyred and three were injured. Intelligence-based operations against terrorists are ongoing.
Sources said the attacker reached Islamabad from Nowshera on the day of the blast. He used the Khanna route from Rawalpindi. The facilitator had links with Fitna-ul-Khawarij in Afghanistan. Investigations revealed that the suicide attacker had visited Afghanistan seven times and had explosives strapped to his legs as well as his chest.
It is pertinent to note that 33 people were martyred and more than 160 injured in the suicide blast in Islamabad on Friday. The attacker detonated himself at the gate after being stopped from entering the mosque during Friday prayers.
