Peshawar (Web Desk): A police constable has been arrested as a key facilitator in the deadly suicide bombing that targeted the Peshawar Police Lines mosque in January 2023, killing at least 86 police officers and injuring several others.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar on Tuesday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Inspector General (IG) of Police Akhtar Hayat Gandapur confirming the arrest described the suspect, Muhammad Wali, as being directly involved in the planning and execution of the attack.
The explosion, which struck during the Zuhr prayers inside the mosque, led to the collapse of the building's roof, trapping those inside. The suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the front row, killing dozens, including the mosque's imam, Sahibzada Noor Ul Amin.
The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) initially took responsibility for the bombing, although it later distanced itself from the incident.
Wali’s arrest came after a detailed investigation, which led authorities to Jameel Chowk in Peshawar, where he was detained along with two suicide vests.
The KP IG revealed that Wali had been in contact with the terrorist group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) since 2021.
The suspect had traveled to Afghanistan, where he met with JuA operatives, including Mohammad Khurasani. During his time in Afghanistan, Wali was briefly detained by Afghan authorities, but was released after intervention from JuA members, including a contact named Junaid.
IG Gandapur said that Wali played a central role in facilitating the attack. He provided a map of the Police Lines area to JuA militants and was in communication with them following the bombing to confirm its success.
In return for his involvement, Wali received Rs 200,000 via the hawala-hundi system, a method of transferring money outside formal banking channels.
The IG said that Wali's criminal activities were not limited only to the Police Lines bombing as the constable was also linked to a series of other violent incidents, including an attack on a religious figure in 2022 and his involvement in the Warsak Road bomb blast.
A video of Wali confessing to his crimes was shown during the press conference, where he admitted to being radicalized by JuA through social media and stated that he joined the group in 2021.
In his confession, Wali stated that he had been influenced by Junaid, a JuA operative, who encouraged him to support the group's activities. He traveled to Afghanistan with the intention of joining the terrorist organization and was subsequently involved in the planning of the Peshawar attack.
Following the bombing, Wali was assigned to a post on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Peshawar.