Four attackers arrested

LAHORE-In a major breakthrough, the law enforcement agencies succeeded in arresting 11 terrorists including three Nigerians, three Uzbeks and an Afghan from different parts of the country in connection with the deadly attack on Sri Lankan cricket team, The Nation has reliably learnt. Out of these, the sources said, four terrorists were those who had taken part in the fatal attack on bus carrying Lankan players at Liberty Chowk while the others were the members of the terrorists network. The govt has constituted a joint team of law enforcement agencies-'Track 3'. The terrorists were imparted training by Indian Agency RAW at the Indian Consulate in Afghanistan, sources told The Nation. The terrorists were provided highly sophisticated and deadly weapons in large quantity by RAW though its agents in Pakistan. Similarly, a notorious criminal imprisoned in the Kot Lakhpat Jail for the last seven months also helped the terrorists in providing weapons for attack on Sri Lankan players. The sources revealed that three Nigerian terrorists were arrested from a rented house in Lahore while four terrorists were arrested from Quetta when law enforcement agencies on the information of arrested terrorists conducted raid and nabbed three Uzbeks. The officials also took into custody another terrorist who was living with his cover name Abdul Rahman from Quetta. The arrested persons further provided important information about their accomplices and consequently the security agencies arrested two others namely Mudassar and Muhammad Aslam from the Cantt area of Karachi. The sources revealed that Aslam has visited neighbouring country India three times during last seven months. He had close relations with the Indian secret agencies. Meanwhile, the law enforcement agencies traced some calls made from the sims and arrested two more suspects from Rahim Yar Khan later identified as Babar Shahzad and Dilwar Ali. The calls were made from these sims to some numbers of Gulberg areas. During interrogation, the arrested terrorists informed the officials that notorious criminal Saleem alias Cheema, imprisoned in Kot Lakhpat Jail, provided the terrorists logistic support including highly sophisticated weapons, explosive material and financial help. The arrested Nigerians though had not taken part in the operation but were present at the Liberty Square to give security cover to their accomplices who fired on the convoy, the sources added. The arrest of all these terrorists came after the security agencies got examined two mobile phone sims recovered from the crime scene that were thrown by the terrorists while escaping from the site. The sources said that further revelations are expected within next 24 hours. Mansoor Khan from Karachi adds: Police have arrested an accused allegedly involved in the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, well-placed sources confided to The Nation on Wednesday. A suspected burqa-clad man was apprehended as soon as he disembarked from the Karachi-bound Tezgam at Cantt Railway Station. During preliminary investigation, the accused introduced himself as Maulvi Munir Shina, a resident of Multan. He also confessed his involvement in the Lahore incident, saying that he had attacked the Sri Lanka team and arrived in Karachi to hide himself from the police. An official of the Cantt Police said the accused was looking abnormal when he admitted his involvement in the attack without any hesitation. He added that the arrested criminal had been handed over to the Crime Investigation Department for further investigation. However, when contacted, the CID authorities refuted that Munir was in their custody.

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