Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Sindh, in coordination with intelligence agencies, has arrested five suspected militants during raids conducted at two locations in Karachi, a CTD spokesperson said on Monday.
According to the spokesperson, the arrested suspects include Imran Khan alias Shaukat, Zaheer Ahmed, Muhammad Riaz, Hujatullah and Habibullah.
The CTD claimed that three of the suspects were affiliated with the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), while two were linked to Fitna Al-Khawarij.
The spokesperson said five pistols, a quantity of ammunition and two mobile phones were recovered from their possession.
According to the CTD, the suspects associated with the BLA had allegedly carried out reconnaissance of sensitive locations on the instructions of a militant commander identified as Abdul Rehman.
The department further alleged that suspect Zaheer Ahmed had been involved in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Sajidi Bazaar, Gishkaur, Balochistan, in 2024, in which Frontier Corps personnel were injured. He was also accused of collecting extortion money in the area in the name of the banned outfit and of receiving training at a militant camp during the same year.
The CTD claimed that the suspects were awaiting the arrival of their accomplices to carry out terrorist activities at sensitive locations in Karachi.
Regarding the two suspects allegedly linked to Fitna Al-Khawarij, the spokesperson said they had received training at a militant camp in Afghanistan in 2024 and had recently arrived in Karachi. They were alleged to have conducted reconnaissance of law-enforcement offices and shared the information with a commander identified as Hidayatullah.
The spokesperson added that the suspects were waiting for the arrival of other militants from Afghanistan to allegedly execute terrorist plans.
According to the CTD, the arrested suspects, allegedly linked to Fitna Al-Khawarij and Fitna Al-Hindustan, had also been mentioned in various threat-alert reports.
Separate cases have been registered against the suspects at the CTD police station, and further investigations are underway.