Pak authorities arrest two ISIS terrorists for planning to attack worship places
LAHORE: Pakistani law enforcement agencies on Friday claimed to have thwarted terror attacks on worship places and arrested two terrorists from the banned Islamic State (ISIS) in the country's Punjab province, authorities said on Friday.
In a statement, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab province said that some terrorists were present at western bypass Mian Channu, Khanewal, some 300kms from Lahore, and were planning to attack worship places.
"A CTD team along with police raided a place where they were hiding in the area and arrested the two terrorists. They have been identified as Imran Haider and Riaz Ahmad belonging to the proscribed organisation ISIS," it said.
The CTD also recovered two hand grenades, two pistols, ammunition, and flags of ISIS from them.
A wave of terrorism activities have been witnessed in the country since Prime Minister Imran Khan government's peace talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other groups ended without reaching an agreement on ceasefire.
A Christian priest was shot dead and another wounded on Sunday last when unidentified attackers fired on their vehicle in Peshawar. Last month three people were killed and over 30 injured in a blast at Lahore's famous Anarkali Bazaar.
On Thursday, armed assailants attacked two security forces' camps in the country's restive southwestern Balochistan province, triggering an intense exchange of fire in which at least 15 terrorists and four soldiers were killed.