Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Sindh announced Sunday the arrest of a suspected suicide bomber linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) following a joint intelligence-based operation in Karachi.
The operation comes amid a sharp escalation in militant violence across the country, particularly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces bordering Afghanistan.
Authorities identified the suspect as Salman, also known as Abu Hurairah, an alleged key operative of the Maulvi Mukhlis Group—a trained covert sleeper cell within the TTP. He was apprehended after an armed encounter involving CTD Sindh and a federal civilian intelligence agency.
“Today, CTD Sindh, together with a federal civilian intelligence agency, arrested the suspect after an armed encounter,” the department stated. Officers recovered a suicide vest, along with photographs and maps of sensitive locations, from his possession.
The CTD revealed Salman was a close associate of Zafran—also known as Abu Hurairah—a high-value militant accused of orchestrating the 2024 attack on Chinese nationals at Liberty Textile Mills. Following Zafran’s death in a police operation, Salman was reportedly dispatched to Karachi as part of a cohort of suicide bombers tasked with carrying out further attacks.
Investigators say Salman received commando-style training for suicide operations in Afghanistan. He traveled to Karachi alongside an associate, Idrees, alias Asadullah, to execute targeted killings and bombings in coordination with other militants.
Two cases have been registered against the suspect under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Explosives Substances Act of 1998. He is currently under interrogation, while joint teams continue raids to apprehend his remaining associates and facilitators.
The arrest follows a similar operation earlier this month in Punjab, where CTD units killed five suspected militants during an intelligence-based raid. Islamabad attributes the recent surge in militancy to armed groups operating from Afghan territory, a charge Kabul consistently denies.
