Karachi’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has arrested a suspected member of the banned Sipah-i-Muhammad Pakistan who was allegedly involved in the targeted killings of religious scholars, according to a CTD spokesperson.
The suspect was identified as Syed Muhammad Askari Abidi. The CTD said an intelligence-based raid in Karachi led to his arrest, during which officials recovered a hand grenade and a Kalashnikov from his possession.
According to the department, Abidi was wanted in several cases involving targeted killings and had been placed on its list of most wanted terrorists.
CTD stated that the suspect had remained underground for a considerable period before returning to Karachi, where he was allegedly attempting to reorganise his network.
During an initial investigation following his arrest, Abidi disclosed his involvement in targeted killings, the department said.
“The suspect is a very dangerous terrorist and a close associate of the arrested accused Hammad Riaz Naqvi,” CTD states.
The department alleged that Abidi was involved in several killings in Karachi between 2003 and 2005.
Those incidents included the murders of Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai; Mufti Jameel and Mufti Irshad; Haroon Qasmi and his police guard Ateeq; Maulana Ahmed Madani and Maulana Abdullah; and Maulana Nazeer Ahmed Taunsvi and Mufti Ateeq Rehman.
The department described Sipah-i-Muhammad Pakistan as an outlawed sectarian group and said Abidi was associated with the organisation.
Abidi is a graduate and a resident of Shah Faisal Colony in Karachi.
The arrest comes as part of intelligence-led operations targeting suspected militant networks in the city, although the statement provided no further details about the operation or the cases in which Abidi was wanted.
