Punjab’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Friday said it foiled a major terror plot by arresting three terrorists in Faisalabad linked to India’s intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Express News reported.
According to a spokesperson for the CTD, the arrests were made during an intelligence-based operation conducted in Pathan Colony on Jhang Road. The terrorists were planning coordinated attacks in Lahore, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, and Pakpattan during Eidul Azha.
The spokesperson said the terrorists were affiliated with the proscribed group Fitna Al-Khawarij and had crossed the border illegally on multiple occasions to meet RAW operatives in Srinagar and Rajasthan. A cache of explosives, detonators, and firearms was recovered from their possession, the CTD said.
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Initial investigations suggested that the terrorists were in contact with foreign handlers via WhatsApp, through which they shared sensitive location maps and received instructions, the spokesperson added.
The CTD maintained that the terrorists had finalised plans to target key sites during the Eid holidays. A case has been registered in Faisalabad, and further investigation is under way.
The spokesperson said the arrests helped avert what could have been large-scale destruction during the festive period, adding that efforts were ongoing to trace additional members of the network.
