Chief facilitator of 2023 Peshawar Police Lines bombing arrested

Khyber Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police have arrested chief facilitator, namely Mohammad Wali, of the 2023 suicide bombing at Peshawar Police Lines in which 101 people had embraced martyrdom and 223 were injured, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Addressing a news conference in Peshawar on Tuesday, KP Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Akhtar Hayat said that the arrested terrorist was an employee as constable in the KP police and a resident of Peshawar as well.

The KP IGP said that Mohammad Wali joined KP police in 2019 and in 2021 he established contact with an agent of Jamaatul Ahrar namely Junaid through Facebook. Junaid used to appoint people through his social media account from Afghanistan, he added.

During interrogation Mohammad Wali said that Junaid asked him to hold a meeting with him in Afghanistan.

He then obtained one-week leave and left for Afghanistan via Chaman border. He met with Junaid in Jalalabad. Mohammad Wali revealed that he also held a meeting with Commander of Jamaatul Ahrar Salahuddin and Mukarram Khurasani in Kunar province of Afghanistan.

He then decided to join Jamaatul Ahrar and vowed to follow instructions of Mullah Yousaf and also received Rs20,000 for his joining.

Mohammad Wali said that on his return he was arrested by Afghanistan forces but later released on interference from Jamaatul Ahrar.

He was performing his duties at Peshawar Police Lines. Terrorist Junaid asked him that he wanted to take revenge of death of commander Khalid Khurasani.

Wali said that in January 2023 he shared pictures and map of Peshawar Police Lines with terrorist Junaid.

He brought the suicide attacker from Charsian Masjid located in Khyber area and the terrorist himself conducted recce of the mosque located inside Peshawar Police Lines. The name of the suicide bomber was Qari and he belonged to Afghanistan.

Wali told interrogators that on the day of suicide attack he himself brought the terrorist from Charsian Masjid in Bara.

The suicide bomber was present in the Charsian Masjid in police uniform and with suicide jacket. He left the suicide bomber near Police Lines and reached home.

After blast he contacted Junaid through telegram and told him that suicide bombing concluded successfully.

Wali said that he received Rs200,000 as reward for facilitating the suicide bombing through hundi.

Wali told the interrogators in January 2022 he had killed a Christian priest in Peshawar and conducted various IED attacks on Warsak Road of Peshawar.

In February 2024 he contacted a terrorist namely Saifullah of Jamaatul Ahrar in Lahore. He delivered a pistol to Saifullah who killed a Qadyani in Lahore.

In March 2024 he contacted another terrorist namely Faizan Butt in Lahore and delivered a pistol to him and he killed two police cops.

Wali also confessed to provide explosives and ammunition for various terrorist activities.

In June 2024 he handed over a suicide jacket to a terrorist namely Luqman and boarded him on a bus for Lahore but he was arrested before he carried out any explosion.

Wali confessed to hide a suicide jacket in Chowk Peshawar in June 2024 and another one in Chamkani area of Peshawar and provided video as evidence to terrorist Junaid.

He said that Jamaatul Ahrar was paying him Rs40,000 to 50,000 as salary and he received this amount through hundi/hawala.

In August 2024 on instructions from Junaid he went to Jameel Chowk in Peshawar to receive two suicide jackets.

 

Reporter Amir Shahzad