Mohsin Naqvi says ‘main mastermind’ of attack on imambargah in Islamabad arrested during raids
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that four facilitators of the suicide attack on an imambargah in Islamabad, including the “main mastermind” was arrested.
He made the remarks while speaking to the media in Islamabad. In his media talk, the minister said that operations were underway all of last night to trace those responsible.
Making special mention of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police for their joint efforts, he said, “All those people linked to this, and the mastermind; at around 3am, all of them were apprehended.”
He lauded all “agencies”, saying that this incident was a “test case”.
“After the blast, raids were carried out in Nowshera and Peshawar, in which four facilitators were caught. And their mastermind, who is an Afghan, was also caught,” he said.
Earlier, security sources said security forces arrested four facilitators during raids in Peshawar and Nowshera.
A police officer was martyred, and three other security personnel were injured during the raids. Among those arrested is the alleged Afghan mastermind, affiliated with the banned Islamic State (IS).
The raids, based on technical and human intelligence, were conducted in connection with the ongoing investigation to arrest those involved in the Islamabad imambargah suicide bombing, according to the police sources.
At least 36 people lost their lives, while scores more were injured after a suicide bomber ripped through the Friday congregation at the imambargah on the outskirts of Islamabad.
“Intelligence and law enforcement agencies conducted raids and made arrests in Peshawar and Nowshera,” confirmed security sources.
Raid in Nowshera
The raid in Nowshera was conducted in the Hakeemabad area of the district, according to police officials.
An official of the Nowshera police said that during a late-night operation, following leads on possible facilitators of the Islamabad suicide bombing, an exchange of fire took place between law enforcement agencies and the suspected militants.
“Yes, a raid was conducted in the district, and an exchange of fire took place. An assistant sub-inspector was martyred and a constable sustained injuries in the crossfire,” the police official confirmed.
The official, who requested anonymity, added that the raid was conducted as part of an ongoing probe against those involved in the Islamabad suicide bombing and that “it was not Nowshera police alone that took part in the operation”.
He, however, refused to share further details.
The attack occurred at Imambargah Qasr-i-Khadijatul Kubra on the city’s outskirts.
The bombing comes less than three months after a suicide blast outside a district and sessions court building in Islamabad’s G-11 area on November 11, 2025. Twelve people were killed and more than 30 were injured in the blast.
Friday’s attack was the deadliest in the capital since September 2008, when 60 people were killed in a suicide truck bomb blast that destroyed part of the five-star Marriott hotel.
