Pakistani authorities say they have arrested four people in connection with the deadly bombing of a Shia mosque in Islamabad, including an Afghan national described as the main planner of the attack.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that all suspects linked to the bombing were detained at around 3 a.m. during police operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. One Pakistani security officer was killed during the operation, he added.
Naqvi said the alleged mastermind is connected to the Islamic State group and claimed that at least 21 militant organisations, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State, are operating from Afghan territory.
He also alleged increased financial support for militant groups, saying they previously received about $500 but now receive around $1,500, without providing evidence. Naqvi accused India of funding the groups, an allegation New Delhi has repeatedly denied.
A Pakistani security official told Reuters that the arrests were carried out in two separate intelligence operations in Nowshera and Peshawar. Authorities have not released the identities of those detained.
The arrests came one day after a suicide bombing at the Khadija tul Kubra mosque in Islamabad during Friday prayers. Pakistani officials said at least 31 people were killed and 171 others wounded in the attack, which could see the casualty toll rise.
Officials said the attacker opened fire before detonating explosives he was carrying. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, said the attack had been planned and the attacker trained by Islamic State in Afghanistan.
The Afghan Taliban condemned the bombing, describing it as “contrary to Islamic and human values,” and have repeatedly rejected Pakistani accusations that militant groups operate from Afghan soil.
