Two Al Qaeda terrorist killed, ‘AQIS planned suicide attack on ordnance train, vehicle’

Two Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) militants, who were killed on Saturday in an ‘encounter’ in Quaidabad, were planning a suicide attack at Drigh Road railway station to target ordnance supply to the military, said a senior police officer on Monday.

The AQIS had done complete reconnaissance and prepared a suicide bomber and a vehicle to hit the target, as arms were being brought from the Wah ordnance factory to Karachi by train or road in a military container for their onward supply to the Malir cantonment.

The dead were identified as Karachi chief of the AQIS Mohammed Arshad and militant Mohammed Umair, said additional inspector general of the Counter-Terrorism Department Dr Sanaullah Abbasi. He said the suspects had also been involved in the killing of workers of a civil society organisation, Idara-i-Amn-o-Insaaf. Once arrested, Arshad had been released on bail, the officer added.

“Mohammed Arshad and his accomplices had done reconnaissance and prepared a suicide bomber and a vehicle,” said the officer, adding that they had planned to carry out a suicide attack by an explosive-laden vehicle on the train at the Drigh Road station or on the military container on Sharea Faisal.

Arshad’s profile

Karachi AQIS chief Arshad had joined Harkat-ul-Mujahideen in 1998 a year before joining ‘Sunni Jehad Council’. He got military training in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and later returned to Karachi.

In 2000, Arshad joined Jaish-i-Muhammad and went to Balakot near Mansehra for military training. Next year, he started working in ‘Shuhada Foundation’.

In the year 2002, Arshad on the instructions of his accomplice, Wajahat, targeted six organisations which he believed belonged to the Christian community, including Idara-i-Amn-o-Insaaf, in Karachi. In the gruesome incident, Arshad along with Zubair, Wajahat, Asif Pasha, Abid and Atif killed seven to eight workers at their office in Rimpa Plaza by administering poisonous injections to them.

He along with Wajahat, Zubair and Atif also killed Aven Advon, head of the same NGO, at his shop at Tibet Centre in 2002 by injecting ‘poison’ into his body.

The same year he along with his accomplices, Wajahat, Zubair and Asif Pasha, killed a Rotary Club member, Tariq Akhtar, by administering ‘poisonous injection’ to him at his office in Defence.

Arshad and Abid were arrested and sent to prison the same year. Their accomplices, Zubair and Wajahat, killed two employees of an international organisation outside their homes near Federal Urdu University by administering ‘poisonous injection’ to them.

The additional IG said it was after the military action against Lal Masjid in 2007 that Arshad along with Wajahat, Kashif, Mohammed Ahmed, Amir, Zainul Abdin, Tauseef, Asif Master and Zeeshan started targeting law enforcers besides the Ahmadi and Christian communities to ‘revenge’ the Lal Masjid operation. Arshad along with his accomplices kidnapped Dara Feroze, a member of the Ahmadi Jamaat from Karimabad, killed him in Korangi by administering poisonous injection and later threw his body at Hawkesbay, the officer said.

“Mohammed Arshad had also planned to target Benazir Bhutto’s reception rally when the PPP chairperson returned to Karachi in 2007,” said Dr Abbasi. He also had got a place in Korangi Industrial Area on rent to stockpile explosive material but his accomplices kept him from executing his plan, the officer added.

Later, he said, Arshad along with Kashif, Ahmed and Wajahat kidnapped Dr Hameed, a member of the Ahmedi Jamaat, along with his driver. They killed the doctor by administering poisonous injection, he said.

While his accomplices Kashif and Ahmed were later arrested, Arshad fled to Chaman, Balochistan, the officer said.

The militant also visited Afghanistan several times where he met leaders of Tehreek-i-Taliban Afghanistan, Jaish Muhammad and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen Al-Almi.

“Arshad was made the chief (Amir) of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent in the year 2014,” said the CTD chief.

The officer explained that each AQIS militant was given a monthly salary of Rs60,000. At least 11 militants were prepared to carry out terror acts by the AQIS, he added.

“Arshad was given training for preparing cyanide poison and all such poisonous injections were prepared by him,” said the CTD head.

Arshad had also prepared computer software titled Mujahideen Secret through which the militants tended to contact with each other. Besides Urdu, Arshad also spoke English and Hindi languages, which he learnt during military training, said Dr Abbasi.

About his family, the CTD chief said that Arshad’s parents belonged to Agra in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and settled in Karachi’s Korangi area after migrating to Pakistan.

Arms supplier

The CTD chief said MohammedUmair remained associated with ‘Badar Mansoor group’ of the militants and provided arms and ammunition to the militants in Karachi to carry out terror acts.

About his education, Dr Abbasi said he studied up to Class IX at PAF school before getting admission to a famous seminary in Karachi in 2002, where he studied till 2008. He did FA as a private student and pursued property business as a career initially.

The CTD chief said Umair was persuaded to join ‘Jihad’ by a religious teacher when he was studying ‘Dars-i-Nizami’ in the famous seminary. He got into contact with ‘Taliban’ and was sent for military training in Mansehra in 2007, the officer said.

Later, he joined the ‘Badar Mansoor group’ of militants and provided arms and ammunition to militants in Karachi for terror attacks, Dr Abbasi explained.

The CTD chief said the Sindh government had announced a reward money for the arrest of the both AQIS militants.

In 2008, at least 60 people were killed and up to 100 others were injured when two suicide bombers targeted Pakistan Ordnance Factories in Wah.