Qari Zafar behind Islamabad blast?

Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 3:09 am

In a major breakthrough in the Islamabad blast case, reports suggest Qari Zafar, a member of an Al-Qaeda styled outfit to be behind the plotting of the Marriott bombing. The photograph of the suspected mastemind of the deadly Marriott Hotel blast in Islamabad, has already been released by Pakistan security agencies.

Qari Zafar, alleged to be part of Al-Qaeda’s hardline Takfiri group, is also said to be a close associate of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud. Zafar is suspected to be hiding in the inhospitable mountainous region of the north-west frontier province.

Zafar has been implicated by Pakistani intelligence after some of his operatives were detained in Punjab and interrogated. The connection to Zafar was established from phone numbers found on the mobiles of some of those arrested in Punjab. Zafar was also solely responsible for the planning, arrangement of transportation and procurement of explosives for the attack against the Marriott Hotel.

Zafar’s role in the Marriott blast was not only in planning the attack but also, arranging for the procurement of massive quantity of explosives and even the vehicles used in the attack.

Earlier, Interior Adviser to the Prime Minister Rehman Malik had put the blame for the deadly suicide attack outside the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Al-Qaeda, and the banned militant organisation Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan as well.

The September 20 (2008) bombing at the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, had left more than 50 Pakistanis dead and wounded more than 270 foreigners, destroying major parts of the once-popular hotel completely.

Before the bombing on Marriott, the most high-profile attack was the March 3 (2008) bombing outside the US Consulate in Karachi. A US diplomat was killed in the suicide car bombing. LeJ foot soldiers had carried out the attack, while the bomb was assembled in Abdullah Mehsud’s territory near Wana in South Waziristan. At the time, Qari Mohammad Zafar was also wanted by the US government for the Karachi Consulate bombing. Zafar was highly suspected of being a key figure involved with this attack.

Zafar had then reportedly, escaped from Pakistani custody in 2007, and was known to take refuge in South Waziristan.

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Qari Zafar behind Islamabad blast?

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