Pakistani authorities said Friday they had arrested four suspected militants allegedly involved in a deadly suicide bombing outside a district court in Islamabad earlier this week, a rare attack in the capital that killed 12 people and wounded 28 others.
The suspects are believed to be members of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. In a statement posted on social media, the government identified one of the suspects, Sajid Ullah, as the individual who handled the explosives used in Tuesday’s attack.
Officials said the arrests were made during a joint operation carried out by Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau and its Counter-Terrorism Department.
According to investigators, Sajid told authorities that the attack was ordered by Saeed-ur-Rehman, a senior TTP commander also known as Daadullah, who issued instructions via the encrypted messaging app Telegram. The bomber, reportedly an Afghan citizen from Nangarhar province, crossed the border into Pakistan, where Sajid arranged lodging near Islamabad.
Daadullah, originally from Pakistan’s Bajaur tribal region, is believed to be part of TTP’s intelligence wing and currently residing in Afghanistan, according to the statement.
The arrests came a day after Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, said Afghan nationals had carried out both the Islamabad bombing and a separate attack in the northwestern town of Wana earlier in the week. In Wana, gunmen stormed a cadet college on Monday, triggering a nearly 20-hour standoff that ended with the deaths of three Pakistani soldiers and all of the attackers.
The violence has underscored Pakistan’s mounting security concerns amid a resurgence of extremist activity, deteriorating relations with the Taliban, and ongoing tensions along the border.
While parts of northwestern Pakistan have long been vulnerable to militant attacks, Islamabad had remained relatively secure until this week’s bombing. The incident has deepened fears of escalating urban terrorism.
The TTP, which has carried out numerous deadly attacks in Pakistan over the years, has not commented on the arrests.
The development comes just days after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave a green signal to the Taliban for easing the tensions, expressing willingness to resume dialogue with the Taliban administration while pressing them to curb TTP operations across the border.
Taliban have rejected the presence of TTP in Afghanistan. A UN monitoring group reported in September that the group has almost 6,000 fighters in Afghanistan.
Taliban and Pakistan delegations held two rounds of talks in Istanbul this month, but could not reach an agreement due to few reasons, mainly the TTP.