The Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) announced on Tuesday that it had thwarted a terrorist plot in Karachi by apprehending two individuals affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), as per a CTD statement. The suspects, identified as Mujahid Baloch and Fareed Baloch, also known as Zakir Bin, were detained during an intelligence-based operation (IBO).
Suspects Trained in BLA Camps
According to the CTD, the pair had received training at BLA camps, including in reconnaissance and communications, and had been operating in Karachi on the instructions of commanders Sajid Baloch and Basheer Zeb. The CTD stated that “the suspects had been gathering information on sensitive installations and were attempting to establish a network to carry out attacks against security forces and other key sites in the city.”
Recovery of Explosives and Legal Action
Officials reported that “they recovered 4kg of explosives, detonators, primacord, and ball bearings during the operation.” A case was registered under the Explosives Substances Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act, while further investigations are underway. The CTD added that “additional teams, working alongside other security agencies, had been formed to continue the investigation and carry out further operations based on information obtained from the suspects.”
Context of Recent Attacks
The arrests come just over a week after one of the deadliest attacks on the Pakistan Rangers in recent years in Karachi. On 27 June, three Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) personnel were killed and four others injured after security forces thwarted an attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi. The military's media wing, the ISPR, said the assault was carried out by Khawarij belonging to the Indian proxy Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. According to police, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the camp's main gate before three armed men entered the premises, firing indiscriminately and throwing hand grenades. Security personnel shot dead two of the attackers, while the third was wounded and arrested alive.
