Investigators make progress in Lahore Johar Town blast probe

• Breakthrough achieved in Johar Town blast probe.
• Man who parked explosive-laden vehicle taken into custody.
• Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed had said Punjab Police close to arresting culprits behind blast.

ISLAMABAD: Investigators have achieved a breakthrough in the Johar Town blast case as a suspect, believed to be the man who parked the explosive-laden vehicle, has been arrested from Rawalpindi.

According to Geo News sources, suspect Eid Gul was taken into custody in a raid by the CTD Punjab from Rawalpindi and is being shifted to Lahore.

Three people were killed and scores were left injured when a vehicle laden with explosives blew up in the city's Johar Town near Hafiz Saeed's residence last week. Police said militants had targeted police in the explosion.

Law enforcement agencies had conducted raids in Punjab cities and Karachi and made arrests.

Last Friday, the security agencies had carried out a raid at a man's residence in Karachi for his suspected involvement in the deadly blast.

The investigation had revealed that the man, Peter Paul David, had visited Lahore three times in the last one-and-a-half months and resided there for a total of 27 days.

The agencies, according to sources, have found evidence that he had met several people, while they have also obtained his immigration data. The car used in the blast was also registered to him.

David runs a scrap and hotel business in Bahrain and moved his family from the Middle-Eastern country to Pakistan in 2010, sources said, adding that he had arrived in the country a month-and-a-half ago, during which, he went to Lahore three times.

Was Hafiz Saeed the target?

IGP Ghani surmised that police had been targeted in the attack. While speaking to the media shortly after the blast, he had advised people to not pay any heed to rumours related to the blast.

The IGP had the media that the CTD is probing the incident and a detailed report will be shared about the nature of the blast and the material used.

"We are not sure what caused the explosion or whether it was a planted device [that caused the explosion], or a suicide blast," he had said at the time.

In response to a question whether Hafiz Saeed — the leader of the outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) was the target — Ghani had said: "There is a police picket near the house of a high-value target, which is why the vehicle could not have gone near the house." This is why he believes the police were targeted, reported Geo News.

He did not provide any further information on the high-value target.

"You should be thankful to the police," he had said.

Ghani vowed to arrest those behind the terrorist act.