LAHORE: After detailed investigations of about eight months, intelligence agencies have finally turned the Mochi Gate blast suspect over to the police, sources told Daily Times on Thursday. The man belonging to a defunct religious outfit was arrested in the last of week of November in 2004. According to an official handout on Thursday, the superintendent of police (SP) of the Crime Investigation Agency claimed that the alleged terrorist was arrested in a raid in Kotlakhpat and was found in possession of two pistols and 35 bullets. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) CIA Umar Virk led the raid. According to the information gleaned from the terrorist, he was a resident of Ravi Road and hade moved to Chungi Amersiddhu and joined a militant organisation in 1997. He confessed to panning the suicide bombing in the Jamia Mosque imambargah in Mochi Gate on October 10, 2004. He fled the scene after his aide Hasan, who had tied explosives to his body, blew himself up when a security guard tried to stop him from entering the mosque.The alleged terrorist also confessed to killing Allama Ghulam Hussain Najafi and sheltering local and foreign militants in hideouts in the Shadhra and Ghazi Abad areas. However, sources said that on the night of November 25, 2004 a shootout occurred between police and suspected Al Qaeda members in Bhatti Colony in Kotlakhpat which left one terrorists dead and three law enforcement agencies’ officials injured. Two terrorists were arrested in the shootout, sources said.
Sources claimed that the police raided the house of a retired schoolteacher, Professor Mehboob, and arrested his son Imran alias Boby in Peshawar after intelligence officials tracked a wireless call he had made to alleged terrorist Muhabat Khan. After arresting him, the investigators made him receive his cell-phone calls, which proved his links with Al Qaeda. During investigations, Imran revealed that he had given shelter to Muhabat Khan in Lahore at which a police team raided his house in Kotlakhpat. A shootout followed in which Muhabat Khan died in an exchange of fire with the police, while three police officials including an official of a secret agency, Muhammad Ashraf, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) and constable Muhammad Mansha of Elite Police Force were injured, sources said. Police seized one AK-47 rifle and two pistols from their possession. Two of Imran’s brother surrendered to the police while one of their accomplices fled.