Daily Times

LAHORE: In a major breakthrough in the ongoing investigation into yesterday’s Lahore blast, the owner of the vehicle used in the explosion has been taken into custody.

Sources said that the man is a resident of Gujranwala. He was offloaded from a Karachi-bound flight at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport and is taken into custody by law enforcement agencies.

The suspect has been shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation.

The blast in Lahore’s Johar Town area killed four people and left 24 others injured and left a four-foot-deep and eight-foot-wide crater on the road and damaged several houses and shops nearby.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and intelligence agencies have completed the process of gathering evidence from the site of the explosion. They said ball-bearings, pieces of iron and parts of vehicle that was used in the blast were collected.

A first investigation report (FIR) of the blast has been registered on the complaint of SHO City Police Station Abid Baig against those involved in the bomb blast.

The FIR has been filed under charges of murder, attempt to murder, terrorism and the explosives act, according to officials.

Punjab IG Inam Ghani confirmed that it was a bomb blast. “A bomb planted in a car went off. The vehicle could not reach its target due to police barriers,” he said. “The police were the target of the bomb blast.”

The vehicle used for the blast was a stolen 2010 model of Toyota Corolla and was being driven on an open letter after being sold by the Hafizabad resident two years ago, sources added.