PESHAWAR - Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has successfully apprehended six alleged terrorists during separate operations conducted in the Peshawar and Mardan regions, officials said on Tuesday.
A CTD spokesman, Bakht Munir, said that four of the detainees have been linked to the Islamic State (IS) and are believed to have been involved in a series of terrorist activities, including targeted assassinations of minorities. The alleged IS militants have been identified as Muhammad Rahim, Shahid, Saleh Muhammad, and Raz Muhammad.
According to CTD sources, these suspects had been residing in various areas of Peshawar for an extended period, where they allegedly aided IS militants in carrying out several attacks, including the targeted killings of Sikhs, Christians, religious scholars, police personnel, and others over the past several months. Meanwhile, two members of a gang, Faizullah hailing from Mohmand district and Saeedullah, an Afghan national residing in Lahore, were also arrested. Forensic analysis of their mobile phones unveiled the existence of at least 10 WhatsApp groups operating from Afghanistan, primarily dedicated to making extortion calls to affluent people. The gang’s activities had not only involved extortion calls but also included grenade and IED attacks.
