A police officer frisks a biker at a security check post along a road following yesterday’s blast outside the district court building [Reuters]
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Rawalpindi and allied agencies have identified suspects linked to the recent suicide bombing outside Islamabad’s Judicial Complex in G-11, arresting seven individuals during coordinated operations in Rawalpindi and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
A CTD spokesperson said a case had been registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act and sections about murder and attempted murder. The department has launched a large-scale probe into the network’s cross-regional links and funding sources.
Investigators have detained a bike rider linked to an online ride-hailing platform who dropped the suspected bomber outside the Islamabad judicial complex. A police official said the bomber had paid the fare, and CCTV footage helped trace and identify the rider.
After locating him, authorities took him into protective custody. According to police sources, the bomber had first hailed a ride from Chungi No. 26 to the courthouse before approaching the complex. Safe City cameras were used to track his movements and identify his aides.
Officials said the attack was carried out by a Khawarij group linked to the so-called “Fitna al-Hindustan” network. The ISPR uses “Fitna al-Khawarij” for TTP-affiliated terrorists, while “Fitna al-Hindustan” refers to Indian-backed extremist proxies.
Read: Suicide attack kills 12, injures dozens outside Islamabad courts
The suicide blast outside the District Judicial Complex in Islamabad’s G-11 area on Tuesday killed 12 people, including a Lawyer, Zubair Aslam Ghuman, and injured more than 36 others.
![Lawyers carry the coffin of Zubair Aslam Ghuman, a lawyer who was killed yesterday in a blast outside district court building [Reuters]](https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/et-mehak-1200-x-900-px-221763024552-1/et-mehak-1200-x-900-px-221763024552-1.png)
Lawyers carry the coffin of Zubair Aslam Ghuman, a lawyer who was killed yesterday in a blast outside district court building [Reuters]
The attacker detonated his explosives near a police vehicle after failing to enter the court premises. The explosion damaged several vehicles and sent shockwaves across the federal capital.
Read More: Bloodshed in capital
The suspects were apprehended during overnight raids conducted by the CTD and security agencies in Pirwadhai, Fauji Colony, Dhoke Kashmirian, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Additional joint search operations were carried out in Tarnol and Ganjmandi, after which CTD Rawalpindi briefed Islamabad police on the progress of the arrests and the ongoing investigation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing, terming it a “cowardly terrorist attack orchestrated by India-backed networks,” while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said preliminary evidence pointed to links between the Islamabad and Wana attacks with groups operating from Afghanistan.
