ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has arrested several key suspects linked to a suicide attack in the capital Islamabad that killed 12 people and wounded more than two dozen, authorities said Friday, calling the operation a breakthrough against militants operating from neighboring Afghanistan.
Officials said the Intelligence Bureau Division and the Counter-Terrorism Department carried out a joint raid that led to the arrest of four members of a cell associated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — a banned militant group — and what Pakistani authorities describe as “Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK),” a term used by religious scholars to denote extremist factions that rebel against legitimate Muslim authority.
The arrests follow the Nov. 11 bombing outside the Islamabad Judicial Complex in G-11, one of the deadliest attacks in the capital in years. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the suicide bomber was an Afghan national who had crossed into the country shortly before the attack.
Investigators said the suspects and the bomber carried out several reconnaissance visits to the judicial complex. Police later tracked down a ride-hailing driver who unknowingly dropped the attacker near the site using CCTV footage.
According to investigators, Sajidullah alias Sheena, who served as the handler of the suicide bomber, admitted during questioning that he was recruited and directed by TTP/FAK commander Saeed-ur-Rehman alias Daadullah. Daadullah—originally from Charmang, Bajaur, and now believed to be in Afghanistan—serves as the TTP’s intelligence chief for Nawagai and contacted Sajidullah via the Telegram messaging app.
He instructed him to prepare for a suicide attack in Islamabad with the intention of inflicting heavy casualties on law-enforcement personnel.
Investigators said Daadullah provided Sajidullah with photographs of the bomber, identified as Usman alias Qari, to ensure he could receive him upon entry. Usman, a Shinwari tribesman from Achin in Nangarhar province, crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan, after which Sajidullah arranged temporary accommodation for him near the capital.
Following Daadullah’s instructions, Sajidullah retrieved a suicide vest from the Akhun Baba graveyard in Peshawar and transported it to Islamabad. On the day of the bombing, he personally strapped the vest onto Usman before sending him to the target location at the Judicial Complex.
Security officials said the operation was planned and supervised “at every stage” by TTP/FAK leadership operating from Afghan territory — a long-standing concern Islamabad has repeatedly raised with Kabul.
All four members of the cell, including its commander, have been taken into custody. Authorities said further arrests are expected as the investigation continues.
Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, Pakistan has faced a sharp rise in militant attacks launched from Afghan territory. Analysts say the TTP has rebuilt and expanded its operational infrastructure under Taliban protection, directing attacks against civilians, security forces, and border posts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Security experts warn that the Taliban’s continued sheltering of TTP and other anti-Pakistan militants risks plunging the region into a new cycle of instability. Islamabad, they add, is running out of patience after repeated diplomatic efforts failed to persuade Kabul to curb cross-border terrorism.
