Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced on Saturday that four facilitators involved in the deadly suicide attack on an imambargah in Islamabad, including the “main mastermind,” have been arrested.
Speaking to the media, Naqvi said that law enforcement operations had continued through the night to track those responsible.
He commended the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police for their joint efforts. “By around 3 a.m., all suspects, including the mastermind, were apprehended,” he said.
The arrests followed raids in Nowshera and Peshawar, where four facilitators were detained.
The main suspect, identified as an Afghan linked to Daesh (ISIS), is now in custody. Naqvi stated that the attack was planned and the attackers trained in Afghanistan.
Tragically, an assistant sub-inspector of KP police was martyred during the raids, and several other officers were injured. Naqvi praised the security agencies, calling the case a “test for law enforcement” and highlighting the ongoing threat posed by groups such as TTP, Afghan Taliban, and Daesh, all reportedly operating from Afghanistan.
Security sources confirmed that the operations were based on technical and human intelligence, aimed at arresting those involved in the Islamabad suicide bombing.
The raids included an exchange of fire in Hakeemabad, Nowshera, where law enforcement neutralized threats and captured the suspects.
The suicide attack occurred at Imambargah Qasr-i-Khadijatul Kubra on the outskirts of Islamabad during Friday prayers, killing at least 36 people and injuring dozens more.
