Police Arrest Key Facilitator in Deadly Peshawar Police Lines Blast: IG Gandapur
PESHAWAR: Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, announced Tuesday that police have apprehended a significant accomplice involved in the suicide attack that claimed the lives of at least 86 police officers in Peshawar last year.
The blast took place in January 2023 inside the main hall of the mosque located in the Police Lines area, causing the roof to collapse on worshippers gathered for Zuhr prayers. Security officials reported that the attacker was in the front row when he detonated the explosives. Among those martyred was Sahibzada Noor Ul Amin, the mosque’s imam. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
During a press briefing, IG Gandapur revealed that the suspect, identified as Mohammad Wali, was arrested a few days earlier near Jamil Chowk, with two suicide jackets recovered from him. Investigations uncovered that Wali was a member of the police force.
According to IG Gandapur, Wali initially contacted the terrorist group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) in 2021 and traveled to Afghanistan, where he met with JuA operatives, including Mohammad Khurasani. Although Afghan authorities arrested him, a JuA associate named Junaid secured his release. Wali later provided the terrorists with a map of the Police Lines and informed them of the blast after it happened.
The IG stated that Wali received Rs 0.2 million for his role, transferred via hawala-hundi at Chowk Yadgar. Wali was also involved in targeting a priest in 2022 and was implicated in the Warsak Road bombing.
During the press conference, authorities played a video of Wali’s confession. Wali stated that he joined the police force on December 31, 2019, and first connected with JuA’s Junaid through social media in 2021. Influenced by Junaid, Wali expressed his willingness to join JuA and support its cause, even traveling to Afghanistan for that purpose.
Following the Police Lines attack, Wali was reassigned to the BRT.
