Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of the alleged mastermind behind last month’s attack on a Pakistan Rangers camp in Karachi, claiming the operation was planned and coordinated from Afghanistan.
Speaking at a joint press conference alongside Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho and Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Senior Superintendent of Police Irfan Bahadur identified the suspect as Qari Bashir.
“Qari Bashir was called from Pakistan to Afghanistan and assigned this task. Rangers later arrested him, and he has confessed to all the crimes related to planning the attack,” Bahadur said.
According to the CTD, the June 27 assault on the Rangers camp involved a multi-stage operation that was organised outside Pakistan.
“The entire planning of the attack took place in Afghanistan,” Bahadur said. “The first stage was planning in Afghanistan. The second was bringing the terrorists to Pakistan. The third stage involved the facilitators’ network. The final stage was the supply of weapons and suicide jackets.”
The attack began when militants detonated explosives at the camp’s main gate before attempting to storm the facility. Rangers personnel repelled the assault, killing three attackers and capturing a fourth in an injured condition.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), three Rangers personnel were martyred and four others were injured during the exchange of fire. The military identified the attackers as members of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and said one of those captured was an Afghan national.
Investigators said videos recovered from Bashir’s mobile phone allegedly show preparations for the attack, which remain part of the ongoing investigation.