Muezzin likely target in Peshawar seminary attack today: IGP Abbasi

PESHAWAR: The terror attack in a seminary to claim at least seven martyrs was apparently targeted to execute the muezzin who narrowly escaped an attack on his life earlier as well, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sanaullah Abbasi shared with ARY News.

Talking exclusively in the ARY News program The Reporters the IGP said while there was a threat alert of something along the lines of terror attacks, it was not clear when, where and how, as the threat was general.

He said it seemed as if the target for the attack was the muezzin of the mosque, as he had escaped an attack on him in the past as well, back in 2016. He shared the muezzin belonged to Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.

However, the IGP clarified the investigations are underway and that no possibility could be ruled out at this point. In its preliminary report, the Bomb Disposable Squad noted the device that detonated today was composed of five to -six kg of explosive material.

On the developments in the case, Sanaullah noted some arrests were made in Bajaur Agency and Khyber District in connection with the threat alerts and the probe is in progress. He said soon the concrete developments will be shared publicly.

The IGP acknowledged that vague information of possible sporadic terror attacks was elicited from detained suspects.

READ: FIR registered in Peshawar’s seminary blast case

Sanaullah further said seminary administrations across KP have been intimated and that the police will establish better coordination amongst them to step up security.

IGP KP Sanaullah asserted he is a 100 per cent certain the strings of these terrorists originated in  Afghanistan and that the suspects dispatched in groups from Bajaur and Dir District. IGP based his assertion on the aforementioned arrests as suspects hail from Afghanistan.

He claimed that these terrorists had actually planned catastrophe for Pakistan which the security forces have thwarted. Sanaullah further claimed the people behind this will be arrested and brought to justice.