Security officer martyred, three injured during raids on Tarlai mosque attack suspects

NOWSHERA/ISLAMABAD: A security officer was martyred and three others injured during a raid to arrest suspects involved in the suicide attack on a mosque in the Tarlai Kalan area, ARY News reported on Saturday, citing security sources.

The suicide bombing, which occurred on Friday, killed at least 33 people and left scores injured. Authorities said the mosque’s security guards attempted to intercept the attacker, who fired at them before detonating explosives inside the prayer hall.

Law enforcement and intelligence agencies conducted intelligence-based operations in Peshawar and Nowshera, using both technical surveillance and human intelligence.

An ISIS-affiliated Afghan national, identified as the mastermind of the Tarlai attack, along with four facilitators, was arrested. Authorities said further operations against terrorist elements are ongoing.

During the operation, one security personnel was martyred, and three others sustained injuries, according to security sources.

Meanwhile, investigators revealed further details about the attack, stating that the 25-year-old suicide bomber, Yasir, used between 4 to 6 kilograms of explosives, carrying numerous ball bearings.

He fired 2 shots before entering the mosque and 6 more inside before detonating the device. All bullet casings were recovered from the spot, the sources added.

Police said Yasir had been missing from his home for over a year and occasionally communicated with his family on the phone.

Before the attack, he had conducted a recce of the mosque and travelled from Nowshera to Islamabad by public transport, wearing the suicide jacket.

He stopped briefly at a nearby hotel before walking along Khanna Road to reach the mosque. National agencies, including the National Forensic Agency and NADRA, assisted investigators in collecting evidence from the site, sources added.

The collective funeral prayers of the victims were offered at a ground in Islamabad.

A large number of people, including Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhary and Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, attended the funeral prayers along with local residents and relatives of the deceased.