Pak agencies foil IS plot to bomb ISI office in Multan; 2 arrested

Pakistan's security agencies claimed to have foiled a terror plot to bomb the offices of spy agencies - the ISI and the Intelligence Bureau - and arrested two suspected Islamic State terrorists in Multan city in Punjab province.

"A CTD team along with police arrested two suspects belonging to the militant Islamic State (IS) group during a raid in Multan. A huge cache of explosives and weapons, including hand grenades, were seized during the raid," said the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab Police.

It also said that money that was to be used for terror financing has also been recovered from them.

The suspected IS members arrested yesterday from Multan district, some 350-km from Lahore, had plans to bomb the buildings that house offices of intelligence agencies -- Inter-Services Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau -- in the city.

The police said it received information that IS terrorists possessing arms and explosives were present at Vehari Road, Multan and planning to target vital installations and offices of intelligence agencies.

"After receiving information, CTD along with police and intelligence teams launched an operation and managed to arrest the suspected terrorists identified as Waseemur Rehman and Samiullah," it said in a statement.

It said Samiullah was an accomplice of Azfaal Ahmad, who was the leader of the local Al-Qaeda chapter that later merged into IS.

"Samiullah was involved in recruitment for the IS from Khanewal and Multan districts of Punjab and also provided a hideout to the group members and was involved in transportation of weapons," it said, adding that Rehman is a close associate of Kashif Qayyum, the former head of the local IS network.

The CTD said more disclosures are expected as the arrested suspects are being interrogated.

The Pakistan government often claims that there has been no presence of IS network in the country but at times the security agencies arrest suspects belonging to the deadly terror group.