PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police have claimed they have arrested the main facilitator behind the suicide bombing at the Police Lines mosque.
Speaking at a news conference here, IGP Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Akhtar Hayat Gandapur revealed that a police constable has been arrested in connection with the January 2023 suicide attack in Peshawar’s Police Lines area, which claimed the lives of at least 86 police officers.
Gandapur stated that Wali had facilitated reconnaissance for the suicide bomber at the Police Lines and was apprehended from Jamil Chowk a few days ago. He is also suspected of being involved in the smuggling of suicide jackets, bombers, and explosives from Afghanistan. During the arrest,
authorities recovered two suicide jackets from his possession.
According to the IG, the suspect’s involvement in the attack was uncovered during the ongoing investigation, revealing that he was serving as a constable in the police department.
The IG further stated that the facilitator received Rs200,000 for his role in the attack.
“This unfortunate individual even involved his own brothers in the operation, paying them just Rs2,000 each,” Hayat said. “All the funds were transferred via illegal money transferring channels, and the suspect’s network extends as far as Punjab.”
It was revealed that Wali had taken a one-week leave and travelled to Afghanistan, where he met terrorist commanders Salahuddin and Mukaram Khurasani in Kunar.
IG Hayat also stated that Afghan forces initially detained Wali upon his return from Afghanistan, but he was released due to the intervention of his handler, identified as Junaid.
Wali reportedly informed his handler about the suicide attack via Telegram. Wali told investigators that Junaid had directed him to take revenge for the “martyrdom” of Commander Khalid Khorasani. In January 2023, Wali sent photographs and a map of the Police Line to Junaid via Telegram.
On January 20, 2023, Wali brought the suicide bomber, identified as Qari, a man of Afghan nationality, from Charsadda Mosque to the Police Line mosque and conducted reconnaissance.
Wali took the bomber on a motorcycle to Rahman Baba Cemetery, where the bomber was given a police uniform and a suicide vest. Wali then dropped him off near the Police Line.
The suicide bombing occurred shortly after, and Wali sent a message to Junaid via Telegram, confirming the success of the attack.
The prime suspect also confessed to being involved in several other terrorist activities, including the murder of a Christian pastor in Peshawar in January 2022.
He claimed to have been behind multiple IED attacks on Warsak Road in Peshawar in 2023 and 2024, and a grenade attack in the Ghulani Market in December 2023.
In February 2024, Wali allegedly facilitated the murder of a Ahmadi man by providing a pistol to a member of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar in Lahore.
Further, in March 2024, Wali provided a pistol to Faisal Butt, who used it to kill two police officers. In May 2024, he supplied explosive materials for terrorist activities in Peshawar.
In June 2024, he assisted in sending a suicide bomber, Lukman, to Lahore with a suicide vest, but Lukman was arrested before he could detonate the bomb.
Wali also hid several other suicide vests in different locations in Peshawar, including on the Motorway Chowk and in Chamakni. He provided video evidence of these activities to Junaid. For his services to the group, Wali received a monthly salary of 40,000-50,000 rupees, which he received through informal money transfer methods (hundi).
It should be noted here that over 100 people had been killed and over 200 were injured in Peshawar mosque suicide bombing attack in 2023.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024