LAHORE: Pakistani security forces on Thursday arrested one of the alleged perpetrators of a car bombing the day before that killed three people and wounded 25 near the residence of a convicted militant leader linked to the Mumbai terrorist attacks, officials said.
The man behind Wednesday's attack in the eastern city of Lahore was arrested at the airport as he was trying to leave the country, said Suhail Ahmad, a security official familiar with the investigation. He identified the man as Pakistani national David Peter.
Ahmad refused to share further details, saying the government would issue a statement about a breakthrough in the case achieved by the Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department with the help of the country's intelligence agencies.
Hours earlier, Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said in a video message on Twitter that the Punjab police were close to arresting those responsible for the Lahore car bombing.
The powerful explosion in the Johar Town neighborhood was near the residence of anti-India militant leader Hafiz Saeed, designated a terrorist by the US Justice Department and has a $10 million bounty on his head.
Saeed is the founder of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. He was unharmed in Wednesday's bombing, but the windows of his home were shattered.
Last year, Pakistan sentenced Saeed to 15 years in prison in a terror-financing case, but he was never charged in connection with the Mumbai attacks. He has been serving his term at home under a government order.
Saeed's Lashkar-e-Taiba was active for years mainly in Kashmir, which is split between Pakistan and India but claimed by both in its entirety.
Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations and they have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence in 1947.
Pakistan arrests key suspect in Lahore bombing that killed 3
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Pakistan arrests key suspect in Lahore bombing that killed 3
- Security officials say the man behind Wednesday's attack was arrested at the airport as he was trying to leave the country
- Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said earlier in the day the police were close to arresting those responsible for the car bombing
Pakistan extends airspace ban on Indian-registered aircraft by another month
- This is the 8th extension of the ban after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir triggered an India-Pakistan conflict in May
- The restriction has forced Indian airlines to reroute their flights, increasing fuel consumption, travel times and operating costs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has extended a ban on Indian-registered aircraft from using its airspace until late February, the Pakistan Airports Authority said on Wednesday, prolonging restrictions that have disrupted flight routes for Indian airlines.
Pakistan first imposed the restriction on April 24 as part of a series of tit-for-tat measures announced by both countries days after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
New Delhi blamed the attack, which killed 26 tourists, on Pakistan. Islamabad denied any involvement and called for a credible, international investigation into the attack.
Tensions quickly escalated after India targeted several sites in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, triggering intense missile, drone and artillery exchanges before a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on May 10.
“The ban on Indian flights has been extended till 5am on February 24,” the PAA said in a statement. “The ban will apply to aircraft owned, operated or leased by Indian airlines, including military flights.”
This marks the eighth extension of the ban, which has forced Indian airlines to reroute international flights, increasing fuel consumption, travel times and operating costs.
Last month, Pakistan accused India of blocking humanitarian assistance destined for Sri Lanka after Cyclone Ditwah, saying a special Pakistani aircraft carrying aid was forced to wait more than 60 hours for overflight clearance.
Pakistan later sent relief supplies and rescue teams to the island nation by sea, officials said.
