The Sindh Counter Terrorism Department said on Monday that it had foiled a major terrorist plot aimed at Karachi, preventing what officials described as a large-scale attack on the city.
Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, CTD Deputy Inspector General Ghulam Azfar Mahesar said law enforcement agencies along with the country’s premier intelligence agency, received credible intelligence about an imminent terrorist threat.
He said the attackers planned to strike specific targets to destabilize national security.
Mahesar said CTD units, intelligence agencies, the Special Branch, the Intelligence Bureau and CTD teams from Sindh and Balochistan coordinated a joint strategy.
Authorities deployed intelligence officers across multiple locations, with a special focus on Karachi’s western areas.
After days of surveillance and intelligence work, officials traced a terrorist hideout in Raees Goth.
He said militants had stored a large quantity of explosives at the site. Sindh CTD and the intelligence agency then carried out a joint raid.
Security forces arrested one terrorist during the operation, while three to four others escaped. A search operation is under way to arrest the remaining suspects.
Officers seized a Mazda truck loaded with explosives, including 30 drums, five explosive-filled cylinders, detonators, and around 2,000 kilograms of explosive material.
Based on information from the arrested suspect, CTD conducted raids at six additional locations and arrested two more terrorists also in possession of explosives.
In total, three suspects are now in custody.
Initial interrogation revealed links to the Balochistan Liberation Army’s Bashir Zeb network and its suicide wing, the Majeed Brigade.
Mahesar said planners operated from outside the country, while local facilitators and handlers have been identified.
He said the seized explosives were ready for use and included both commercial material and smuggled components. Authorities said further details will be shared as investigations continue.
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