Mastermind of Islamabad suicide attack arrested—Atta Tarar’s important briefing, Afghan network exposed

Conducting a press conference in Islamabad, Federal Information Minister Atta Tarar said that the suicide attack in G-11 was planned by a network based in Afghanistan, while the attacker has been identified as Afghan citizen Usman Shinwari, a resident of Nangarhar.

The Information Minister said that Sajidullah, alias Sheena, Kamran Khan, Muhammad Zali and Shah Munir have been arrested by the CTD. According to him, Sajidullah is the person who brought the suicide vest and was in direct contact with the attacker.

Atta Tarar revealed that Sajidullah joined the Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan in 2015 and received military training in various training camps. He said that the target of the attack in Pakistan was Islamabad and Rawalpindi, but due to tight security, the terrorists could not reach their original targets.

According to the Information Minister, the attack was planned by Noor Wali Mehsud, sitting in Afghanistan, through his commander Dadullah, with whom Sajidullah also met again in 2023.

He said that the security agencies had traced the network before the attack and a major tragedy was averted due to timely action. Sajidullah’s confessional statement was also broadcast during the press conference.

Security analysts say the incident proves that cross-border terrorist networks are still a challenge for Pakistan, and the operation shows that terrorist organisations want to specifically target the city of power. According to experts, the arrests are being considered a “major success” of the recent campaign against terrorism.