PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Pakistani authorities have confirmed that all three suicide bombers who attacked the Federal Constabulary (FC) Headquarters in Peshawar on 24 November were Afghan nationals, as investigators continue to probe the attack and search for facilitators.
Officials said the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) verified the nationality of the three attackers and found no record of them in its system, confirming they were “aliens”. Further personal details have not yet been received.
Investigators have questioned more than 100 suspects as part of the inquiry, officials said. They said the bombers did not carry any mobile phones on the day of the attack, making it difficult to trace their contacts or handlers.
CCTV footage tracks attackers’ movement
Investigators obtained CCTV footage showing the attackers travelling from the Rehman Baba cemetery area to the FC Headquarters.
The footage also showed the three terrorists riding a single motorcycle in the wrong direction on the road before parking near a shop close to the compound.
The first bomber waited outside the main gate for several minutes before detonating his explosives. The other two terrorists entered through the smoke and confusion, opened fire, and were later shot dead by security forces.
The suicide attack occurred while a parade was underway inside the FC Headquarters, where around 450 personnel were present.
Authorities said three FC personnel were killed in the explosions and gunfire. Eleven others were injured. All three terrorists died during the assault.
Authorities expand investigation
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) registered a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act and other relevant charges on the complaint of SHO Abdullah Jalal.
Investigators said they are actively trying to identify the facilitators who helped the terrorists reach the site.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed said on Tuesday that police had gathered “crucial evidence”, including photographs, fingerprints and CCTV images.
“We have tracked the suspects quite far back. We are now trying to establish exactly how they entered the city,” he said.
The police chief added that investigators had also identified the location where the attackers stayed on the night before the bombing.
The motorcycle used by the terrorists has been taken into custody, and forensic teams have lifted fingerprints from it.
Security review
The attack prompted a security review across Peshawar, a city that has seen several deadly terrorist assaults in recent years.
Officials say the confirmation of the attackers’ Afghan nationality adds a new dimension to the investigation, which now includes the possibility of cross-border facilitation.
