Police say 'mastermind' of Rangers camp attack in Karachi arrested; culprits trained in Afghanistan

Police on Tuesday said that a “mastermind” of the deadly attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi last month has been arrested, adding that the terrorists had training and “backing from Afghanistan”.

On the night of June 27, terrorists attacked the local headquarters of the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar area, during which three security personnel were martyred and four were injured, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

ISPR said the attack was carried out by terrorists “belonging to Indian proxy Jamaatul Ahrar” (JuA), adding that three terrorists were killed in retaliatory action while one was arrested, whom it identified as an Afghan national.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday alongside Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, City Senior Superintendent of Police Irfan Bahadur detailed the involvement of elements from Afghanistan in the “entire planning” and execution of the attack.

The SSP identified the “mastermind” of the attack as Qari Basheer alias Qari Habib, adding that he was arrested during an operation by Rangers following the incident.

Lanjar also said, “All their (terrorists’) handlers were guiding them from Afghan soil that maximum damage should be done in the city and that Karachi’s peace be sabotaged by taking people hostage and public terrorism be spread.”

He added that after the incident, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) “discovered a network of facilitators involved in the attack through a comprehensive effort”.

Providing details on the attack, SSP Bahadur listed the “four phases” of carrying out the attack: “First of all, the planning and training of terrorists in Afghanistan. Secondly, four Afghan terrorists being taken from Afghanistan to Karachi.”

The SSP added that there was “backing from Afghanistan to run the facilitator group in Karachi”, while also giving them instructions “till the last stage from Afghanistan”.

“And lastly, the provision of weapons, ammunition and suicide jackets to terrorists,” he said.

The SSP identified the suicide bomber as Janaan, who was a resident of Afghanistan’s Farah province. Another terrorist was named Bilal alias Hadi, who was born in Bajaur and later moved to Kandahar across the border.

The senior officer named the third terrorist, who was killed, as Umer Farooq, a resident of Afghanistan’s Kunar. The attacker who was arrested in an injured condition was identified as Usman Sher Mohammad, hailing from Nangarhar.

SSP Bahadur said those involved in planning the attack included Noor Wali, the head of “Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij” — a term the government uses to refer to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Others were named as Sher Wali alias Mukhlisyar and TTP Shura member Saeed Shah, who provided “all information” to Baseer, a leader of JuA, which the SSP described as an Indian proxy as well.

According to the SSP, these three called the attack’s mastermind, Qari Basheer, from Afghanistan to Pakistan and “gave him the responsibility” for the attack.

“During his interrogation, he detailed how the leadership of Fitna al Khawarij from Afghanistan gave him instructions for the attack,” the SSP said.

In a video aired during the press conference of Qari Basheer, he could be heard saying that he met Saeed Shah in Afghanistan, who arranged his meeting with Noor Wali and Sher Wali. “They gave me a task for action against the police, army and Rangers in Karachi,” he said.

SSP Bahadur then recalled information revealed by held attacker Usman during his interrogation, who said they were trained in “various camps in Afghanistan” and then sent into Pakistan for the Rangers camp attack.

The police officer said Moulvi Tahir, an “important member” of the TTP, “chose Usman from Jamia Siddiqia in Kunar, Afghanistan” and handed him over to JuA’s Qari Abdul Manaan.

He added that the four attackers were trained in two training camps in Nangarhar. A video of Usman’s statement was also played.

The SSP elaborated that the four terrorists entered Pakistan after moving through various areas in Afghanistan. Another video of Usman was played, in which he provided information about the process, as per the SSP.

The group of four terrorists passed through areas of Balochistan to reach Hub, where they were dropped off at Chamra Chowrangi in a car, the police official said.

He added that the attackers were provided shelter in Hub in a rented room by Qari Basheer, the mastermind.

“Qari Basheer and his 13 other facilitators provided full facilitation to these four terrorists in taking them there, accommodation and providing transport to carry out a terrorist attack on the KTC Rangers camp,” he said.

“Out of these facilitators, Qari Basheer along with the main facilitators have already been arrested,” the SSP stated, adding that the main facilitators were all relatives of Qari Basheer.

More to follow ...