Five suspected terrorists were arrested by the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) after a failed bid to carry out a bomb attack on a train in Rajanpur on Thursday, media reports said.
The bomb disposal squad (BDS) had earlier in the day defused explosives affixed to railway tracks. According to BDS official Ghulam Abbas, the bomb weighed five kilograms and was attached to the railway tracks along with a remote-controlled device. The target appeared to be the Karachi-bound Khushal Khan Khattak Express, which had left from Peshawar and was due to pass by in a few hours. It was temporarily halted at the DG Khan station after police sealed off the area and began a search operation.
Later in the evening, the CTD notified the arrest of five suspected terrorists from Rajanpur’s Giamal area. It said that additional explosives and some ammunition was also seized from the possession of the suspects.
A case has been registered against the suspects on charges of terrorism. Further investigation is underway, and ‘important disclosures are expected’.
According to a statement from the spokesperson of the Punjab CTD, the five arrested were identified as: Hussain Bakhsh aka Bagga Reesh, Bakhsh, Balach aka Balash, Rahem Ali and Mujahid Din aka Mojoo. “All belong to the Balochistan Republican Army, Baggi Commander Group. Recoveries from them include two pistols, 30 bore, one planted IED approximately 6kg, safety fuse, primer cord, detonator and funds (cash money) for terrorism financing,” read the statement. “Strong links with terrorist Brahmdagh Bugti have been found as he was financing them from abroad and commanding them to commit this act of terrorism,” it added.
