Safoora carnage: 37 more cases surface against arrested suspects

KARACHI: 37 more cases have surfaced against five arrested suspects of Safoora bus attack during the interrogation carried out by a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) here on Saturday.

Out of total 37 new terrorism related cases, 11 were carried out in Karachi’s East Zone, 13 in West, nine in South and four in Hyderabad, according to details.

Four suspects – Saad Aziz, Muhammad Azhar Ishrat, Haafiz Nasir, Tahir Hussain Minhas – were arrested for their alleged involvement in the Safoora bus attack that killed at least 47 people belonging to Ismaili community in Karachi last month.

The fifth suspect, identified as Asadur Rahman, was later arrested on June 5 by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel, who acted on intelligence carrying out an operation in Super Highway area.

The suspects, besides killing 47 people of Ismaili community, were also involved in murder of NGO activist Sabeen Mahmud, firing on US academic living in Karachi Debra Lobo in area of Ferozabad police station, magnet-fitted bomb attacks on Naval officers in Karachi, suicidal attack on Brig Basit of Rangers, grenade attacks on private schools in Nazimabad and North Nazimabad, bomb blast and target killing of Bohri community in Arambagh, North Nazimabad, Bahadurabad and in Hyderabad, bomb attacks on police mobile vans and killings of police personnel at various locations in the port city.

The weapons recovered from the suspects include three Kalashnikovs, seven 9mm pistols, five grenades, five laptop computers, seven pieces of explosive materials, and extremist militant literature.

Meanwhile, another probe team comprising DIG East, SSP East, SP Malir and a CTD officer has been formed to expedite the investigation process.

Five out of total 10 attackers involved in the bus attack, which took place near Karachi’s Safoora Chowrangi area, are still at large.