- Prime suspect Sajidullah’s video confession shown at press conference.
- Suicide bomber missed main target due to tight Islamabad security: Tarar.
- Nov 11 blast martyred 12, injured 36 near Judicial Complex in capital.
ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday said that the Islamabad suicide attack was plotted by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali Mehsud in Afghanistan.
Speaking at a press conference in the capital, the information minister said the suicide attacker had failed to reach his original target due to tightened security.
The suicide blast rocked the federal capital on November 11, leaving at least 12 martyred and 36 injured outside the District Judicial Complex in Islamabad’s G-11 area.
Minister Tarar said that the attack was planned by the Mehsud through his commander, Dadullah, who is currently in Afghanistan. He said that a joint operation by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) led to the arrest of four suspects within 48 hours of the attack.
“CTD has arrested Sajidullah alias Shina, Kamran Khan, Muhammad Zali, and Shah Munir,” Tarar said.
He said that one of the arrested suspects, Sajidullah, visited Afghanistan in August 2025 to meet Dadullah and remained in contact through an app.
The minister said Sajidullah, the main suspect, had brought the suicide attacker and his explosive jacket to Pakistan.
“Sajidulllah joined the Afghan Taliban in 2015 and received training in various camps there. In 2023, he met a man named Dadullah in Afghanistan,” the information minister said.
He added that Sajidullah and Muhammad Zali went to Afghanistan with Dadullah and met another TTP militant, Abdullah Jan alias Abu Hamza, in Shegal before proceeding to Kabul.
“Dadullah conveyed Mehsud’s orders regarding the suicide attack in Rawalpindi and Islamabad,” Tarar said.
The minister said Sajidullah returned to Pakistan and met the suicide bomber, Usman Shinwari, who was a resident of Nangarhar, Afghanistan.
“Usman Shinwari was provided with the suicide jacket and carried out the attack in G-11. The terrorists intended to cause major damage but failed to reach their target,” he said.
He said that all planning of the attack was carried out from Afghanistan. Sajidullah alias is the main suspect and has been a member of the Afghan Taliban.
During the press conference, the minister also presented a video statement of Sajidullah Shina, confessing his role in planning and facilitating the attack.
FC Headquarters attack
Separately, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General (IG) Zulfiqar Hameed said that initial findings indicate the three militants who attacked the Federal Constabulary (FC) Headquarters in Peshawar were likely Afghan nationals.
Speaking to the media, the IG said investigators had gathered crucial evidence, including photographs, fingerprints, and CCTV footage of the suspects. “So far, the investigation suggests that all three terrorists appear to be Afghan citizens,” he said.
“We have tracked the suspects quite far back. We are now trying to establish exactly how they entered the city,” he added.
The KP police chief said investigators had also identified the location where the attackers spent the night before the assault. The motorcycle used by the militants has been taken into custody, and forensic teams have extracted fingerprints from it.
“The terrorists’ motorcycle is now in our possession, and fingerprints have been obtained from it,” he said.
However, Hameed clarified that no facilitator had been arrested so far.
