November 12, 2024
ISLAMABAD – Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar on Monday confirmed the arrest of two suspects involved in the Karachi airport attack last month that targeted Chinese officials.
On October 6, a massive explosion occurred on a road near Jinnah International Airport, killing a total of three people — including two Chinese engineers — and injuring at least 11 others.
The attack was claimed by the banned outfit Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Police registered an FIR against leaders of the BLA and others three days after the incident.
A day after the attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured the Chinese of personally overseeing the investigation into the terror attack. A few days later, China said it would work with Pakistan to protect the safety and security of Chinese personnel and projects and institutions in Pakistan.
Speaking at a press conference alongside the inspector general of Police, Lanjar confirmed that a “suicide bomber driving a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VIED), at around 11pm on Oct 6, attacked a convoy carrying Chinese nationals near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport.”
The explosion resulted in the deaths of two Chinese nationals and one Pakistani citizen, with Lanjar saying it injured 21 others. Several other vehicles were also damaged as a result of a fire caused by the explosion.
“This attack seeks to disrupt Pakistan-China relations and sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project,” Lanjar said.
He added that the BLA took responsibility for the attack via social media.
Lanjar also confirmed that the Sindh Counterterrorism Department (CTD) registered a first information report (FIR) of the case and that a high-level joint investigation team was formed which included law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and other intelligence bodies.
“The team utilised advanced forensic methods to examine the scene and gather critical evidence,” Lanjar said.
Last night, during an intelligence-based operation, one of the masterminds of the suicide bombing, Javed alias Sameer, and his accomplice Gul Nisa were arrested at CD Highway near Umar Goth Chowk, Karachi, while riding a bike. The two had entered Karachi via Hub, Lanjar said.
“An investigation revealed Javed’s direct involvement in the suicide bombing, while Gul Nisa had facilitated [him],” Lanjar added.
The minister went on to say that the identity of the suicide bomber, Shah Fahad, was figured out through his fingerprints since his face and much of his torso were burnt during the explosion.
“With the help of eyewitness accounts, investigators prepared sketches of accomplices of the suicide bomber,” Lanjar told the press conference.
During further investigation, records of the suicide bomber’s vehicle were checked, which revealed that the vehicle used in the attack had been purchased in September 2024 for Rs7.1 million in cash from a showroom in Karachi and transferred under the suicide bomber’s name.
Cash for the vehicle purchase had been transferred through a private bank in Hub, Balochistan.
The investigation confirmed that the suicide bomber had arrived in Karachi in the same vehicle along with a woman on Oct 4, and stayed at a local hotel in Saddar.
“On Oct 6, the terrorist checked out of the hotel. He later picked up his other accomplices near Jail Chowrangi in the vehicle that would be used in the attack. They circled the airport and then returned to a park near the Marriott Hotel.
“From there, they recorded the suicide attacker’s final video on a mobile phone and sent it to their BLA commander. At around 9:30pm, they reached Karachi Airport. The suicide attacker and one of his accomplices remained in the vehicle, while the third accomplice entered Karachi Airport,” Lanjar said.
As the Chinese convoy exited the airport, Javed, who was inside the airport, alerted the suicide attacker via phone.
“By then, the suicide attacker’s second accomplice had already left the vehicle. As the Chinese convoy reached a short distance from the airport, the suicide attacker drove the explosives-laden vehicle close to them and detonated it around 11pm,” Lanjar said.
He appreciated the CTD and Sindh police for their work in uncovering the network behind the attack, and also announced a Rs50m reward for them, saying he would recommend them for the Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal (QPM) as well as the President’s Police Medal (PPM).
Lanjar reiterated that the incident was regrettable since the Chinese “are our brotherly neighbours” and held importance for Pakistan economically.
The three suspects still at large were identified as Danish, Gul Rehman, and Bashir Zaid, who is a mastermind in the attack and was facilitating the network from abroad. Two suspects, Farhan and Mohammed Syed, were also accomplices in the blast and both are rickshaw drivers, Lanjar said.
CTD Senior Office Raja Umar Khattab told Dawn.com that Javed, who has been arrested, is a student of the history department at Karachi University. He added that two other suspects were part of the investigation but had not been arrested so far.
While answering questions from reporters at the press conference, Lanjar said: “Whether it is BLA or any other group, I am warning them to stop these activities in Sindh. We have our eyes on foreign conspiracies trying to destabilise Pakistan, particularly in Sindh. We are highly concerned about protecting our people of Sindh and keeping peace.”
He went on to emphasise the high regard held for women in Sindh. “We always respect our women, whether Sindhi or Baloch. These unpleasant incidents of using women to play with our sentiments, don’t do this, our Sindhi people do not like this.”