Major Karachi terror plot foiled: Over 2 tonnes of explosives seized, three arrested

Dubai: Pakistani security agencies have foiled a major terrorist attack planned for Karachi, recovering more than two tonnes of explosives and arresting three suspected militants during a series of intelligence-led operations, officials said on Monday.

Briefing the media, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Deputy Inspector General Ghulam Azfar Mahesar said law enforcement agencies, acting on intelligence inputs, uncovered a large terror plot aimed at targeting key locations in Karachi to “destabilise national security”, according to Dawn.

Mahesar said intelligence agencies had received information that terrorists, operating 30 to 40 kilometres outside Karachi, were planning coordinated attacks on the city. Based on this input, a joint strategy was devised involving the CTD, the Special Branch, the Intelligence Bureau and other intelligence units, with a particular focus on Karachi’s western districts.

After several days of surveillance and intelligence gathering, officials identified a terrorist hideout in Raees Goth, Karachi, where a massive quantity of explosive material had been stockpiled, Mahesar said. A joint raid was then conducted by the Sindh CTD and the country’s “premier intelligence agency”, leading to the seizure of a Mazda truck loaded with explosives.

“We captured one terrorist during the raid, while three or four others managed to escape,” Mahesar said, adding that search operations were immediately launched to track down the fugitives. Subsequent raids conducted on the basis of information obtained during interrogation led to the arrest of two more suspects, taking the total number of arrests to three.

According to the CTD, the operation resulted in the recovery of over 2,000 kilograms of explosives, including more than 30 large drums, five explosive-filled cylinders, and commercial-grade explosive material, Geo News reported. The explosives were later defused to prevent any accidental detonation.

DIG Mahesar said the suspects had planned a major terrorist attack in Karachi, and that the scale of the recovered material indicated the potential for mass casualties. “The explosives were being transported through various routes and consolidated at this location,” he said, as quoted by Geo News.

During initial interrogation, the arrested suspects revealed links to the Bashir Zeb network of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade, Mahesar said, according to Dawn. Investigators believe the network had external backing, with planning and coordination carried out from outside Pakistan.

“All the planning regarding the attack was done abroad,” Mahesar said, adding that authorities have identified the facilitators and handlers involved in the plot. Multiple teams have been formed to pursue further arrests and dismantle the network, he added.