LAHORE: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has arrested 16 suspected militants, including a suicide bomber, during a series of intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted across multiple cities in Punjab, officials said on Tuesday.
According to a CTD spokesperson, a total of 113 IBOs were carried out province-wide, targeting areas including Khushab, Mianwali, Rawalpindi, Jhang, Bhakkar, Lahore, Faisalabad, Chakwal, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad and Gujranwala.
Among those arrested was a “highly dangerous” suicide bomber identified as Ghazi Marjan, allegedly affiliated with the banned outfit referred to as Fitna al-Khawarij, who was apprehended in Jhang along with a suicide jacket and explosive material. In a separate operation in Sargodha, another suspect, Maley Khan, allegedly involved in attacks on sensitive installations, was also taken into custody.
CTD officials said the detained suspects had finalised plans to target police checkpoints, which were foiled through timely action. During the operations, authorities recovered explosive materials, suicide jackets, 14 detonators, 25 feet of safety fuse wire, banned stickers, proscribed literature and cash from the suspects’ possession.
The arrested individuals were identified as Ghazi Marjan, Moeen Khan, Aseel Din, Nasir Shah, Naseeb Khan, Abrar, Yousuf, Maley Khan and Usama, among others.
The spokesperson added that 2,830 combing operations were also conducted during the week, during which 95,755 individuals were questioned and 190 suspects taken into custody.
The CTD said operations against terrorism would continue across the province without interruption to ensure public safety.
