LAHORE – Security forces on Thursday arrested a suspect involved in a car bombing that killed three people and injured 25 others near the residence of Hafiz Saeed, the chief of proscribed Jama’at-ud-Da’wah, in Punjab capital.
One of the perpetrators was trying to leave Lahore through a flight when he was arrested from Allama Iqbal International Airport.
The suspect has been shifted to an unknown place for interrogation.
The development comes after Interior minister Sheikh Rashid claimed on Thursday that police had made great progress in the Johar Town explosion probe and were close to identifying the perpetrators.
“Punjab police will soon give good news to the people and is close to arresting the culprits,” Sheikh Rashid said in a video statement.
“Those who want to spread unrest [in Pakistan] and want to bring the country under pressure will fail,” he remarked.
On Wednesday, An explosives-laden car exploded outside the home of Hafiz Saeed in Lahore’s Johar Town neighbourhood a day ago, killing three persons and injuring 21 others, including women and children.
The nature of the explosion was unclear to top police officials, while doctors claimed the wounded were struck by ball-bearing shrapnel. The nature of the explosion will be established after a comprehensive investigation by specialists, according to Punjab police head Inam Ghani, who characterised the incident as an “unfortunate terrorist act.”
Witnesses said that many buildings and cars around the explosion were damaged. They went on to say that many people were laying in a pool of blood, wailing for assistance and that the area was instantly covered in dust following the explosion.
According to authorities, the explosion may have used approximately 25-30 kilogrammes of explosives, since it created a three-foot-deep and five-foot-wide crater at the scene, with shrapnel flying as far as 500 metres.
Read more: https://pakobserver.net/over-30kg-explosives-used-in-lahores-johar-town-blast-says-initial-probe/
