14 ‘terrorists’ linked to TTP, other banned outfits arrested: Punjab CTD

LAHORE: The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Saturday said it has arrested 14 suspected terrorists linked to banned outfits during operations carried out in different cities of the province, ARY News reported.

In a statement issued today, the CTD said it conducted 147 intelligence-based operations in Sahiwal, Lahore, Gujrat, Gujrawala, Faisalabad and “foiled a major terror plot”. It said 147 suspects were interrogated and 14 alleged terrorists were arrested.

According to the CTD, the alleged terrorists belonged to banned organisations Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Jamaatul Ahrar.

The statement further said that hand grenades, improvised explosive devices, detonators, primer cords, pamphlets of banned organisations were recovered from the possession of the suspected terrorists.

The police have registered cases against them and shifted them to an “unknown location”, it added.

This week, 588 combing operations were conducted in various parts of the province, resulting in the arrest of 79 suspects, the statement added.

Earlier to this, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed to have arrested seven terrorists, including a commander of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across Punjab.