KARACHI – The Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) announced on Monday that a major terrorist attack in Karachi had been successfully prevented following coordinated operations by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Addressing a press conference with CTD Additional Inspector General Zulfiqar Ali Larik, Deputy Inspector General Ghulam Azfar Mahesar said authorities received intelligence that terrorists were planning attacks on specific targets in the city to destabilize national security.
Mahesar said intelligence agencies, including the Special Branch, Intelligence Bureau, and CTDs of Sindh and Balochistan, developed a strategy to thwart the plan, focusing operations in multiple locations, particularly in Karachi’s western areas.
After several days of intelligence gathering, authorities identified a terrorist hideout in Raees Goth, where large quantities of explosives were stored. A joint raid by Sindh CTD and a premier intelligence agency led to the capture of one suspect, while three or four others escaped. Search operations for the fleeing suspects are ongoing.
According to Mahesar Officials recovered a Mazda truck loaded with explosives, including 30 drums, five cylinders, 2,000 kg of explosive material and detonators. Subsequent raids on six additional sites, based on information from the first arrested suspect, led to the capture of two more individuals, who were also found with explosive material.
Initial interrogations indicated that the three arrested suspects were linked to the Bashir Zeb network of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Majeed Brigade. Investigations are ongoing and authorities have reportedly identified facilitators and handlers operating from outside the country.
“The explosive material brought into the city was ready for use,” Mahesar said, calling the seizure a major achievement in preventing a large-scale attack. He added that the explosives included a mix of commercial explosives and materials smuggled through Balochistan’s mountainous regions.
Mahesar said further details and additional arrests would be shared at a later date.
