Pakistani law enforcement agencies on Friday arrested 13 suspected terrorists, mostly belonging to al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) groups, from different parts of Punjab province and thwarted a terror attack in Lahore, an official said.
According to a spokesperson of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab Police, five AQIS terrorists were arrested during a raid in Lahore and elsewhere.
Similarly, five TTP terrorists and two belonging to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) outfit and other to Shia organisation Tahreek-e-Jafria Pakistan were arrested from different parts of Punjab.
“To effectively counter the menace of terrorism, CTD Punjab had conducted 59 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the province and nabbed 13 terrorists,” the official said.
He said arms and ammunition besides pamphlets and 10 books of banned organisations and cash have also been recovered from the terrorists.
The CTD said the terrorists were planning to target some ‘sensitive places’ and law enforcement agencies personnel in Lahore.
Since the TTP ended its truce with the government in November, the terror group has intensified its attacks.