Lashkar-i-Jhangvi’s faction involved in Karachi blast

DAWN.COM

Initial investigations of Tuesday’s North Nazimabad blast revealed that around five to eight kilograms of explosive material was used in the blast, Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) special unit claimed. At least seven people, including a three-month-old baby, a 12-year-old girl and a woman, were killed and 22 others injured — the victims predominantly belonging to the Dawoodi Bohra community — when twin blasts rocked a neighbourhood in North Nazimabad on Tuesday evening. “The explosive material contained around 500-800 ball bearing,” FIA’s investigation unit added. Police detained two brothers of one of the suspects involved in the blast. According to police’s initial investigation, Laskar-i-Jhangvi’s (LeJ) Shuja Haider group was involved in the attack. Police claimed that LeJ’s members Mohammad Shaqib Farooqi, Murtaza alias Shakil,Arab Miskeen, Murad Shah and several others were involved in Tuesday’s blast in North Nazimabad. The suspected LeJ members were also involved in three blasts in 2009, the blast Orangi town blast on Muharram 8, Paposh Nagar Chandni chowk blast on Muharram 9 and Light House blast on Muharram 10. The suspects were arrested from Maripur road in 2010 but they escaped from the city courts afterwards attacking the police with hand grenades. Talking to media representatives, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Karachi West Naeem Akram said that Tuesday’s North Nazimabad blast had similarities with the Chinese Consulate blast on July 23, 2012. The blasts came a day after the visit of Syedi Mufaddal Bhaisaheb Saifuddin, designated successor of Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin. An improvised explosive device (IED) weighing around 25kg had been found at the same place on Aug 13 and defused by police.