4 militants held in connection to suicide bombing in Islamabad

Pakistan announced the arrest of four militants over their alleged involvement in a deadly suicide bombing outside Judicial Complex in Islamabad, a breakthrough in an investigation launched after the attack killed 12 people and wounded over 30 others.

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The men are suspected members of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is a separate group but closely allied to the Afghanistan Taliban. “The network was handled and guided at every step by the... high command based in Afghanistan,” a government statement said, adding that the cell's alleged commander and three other members were in custody.

One of the suspects, Sajid Ullah, is believed to have handled the bomb used in the suicide attack on the court in Islamabad on Tuesday, the government said in a post on social media platform X.

The men were detained in a joint operation by the nation’s Intelligence Bureau and Counter-Terrorism Department, the government said.

The arrests came a day after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Afghan nationals carried out suicide bombings in Islamabad and northwest Pakistan earlier this week.

Sajid Ullah told investigators that Saeed-ur-Rehman, a TTP commander, ordered the attack in Islamabad through the Telegram messaging app.