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Four Facilitators, Including Mastermind, Arrested in Islamabad Imambargah Suicide Attack
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi says four facilitators of the Islamabad imambargah suicide bombing — including the main Afghan mastermind linked to IS — have been arrested after raids in Peshawar and Nowshera.
ND
by News Desk
2026-02-07
Four Facilitators, Including Mastermind, Arrested in Islamabad Imambargah Suicide Attack

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that four facilitators of the deadly suicide attack on an imambargah in Islamabad have been arrested, including what he described as the “main mastermind” behind the bombing.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, the minister said the arrests were made following intelligence-based raids carried out in Peshawar and Nowshera after the attack.

“After the blast, raids were conducted in Nowshera and Peshawar, during which four facilitators were arrested. The best part is that the main mastermind, an Afghan national, has also been apprehended,” Naqvi said.

Security sources earlier confirmed that law enforcement agencies arrested four facilitators during coordinated operations in the two cities. Among those detained is an alleged Afghan national affiliated with the banned Islamic State (IS).

During the raids, a police officer was martyred and three other security personnel were injured, according to officials.

The operations were conducted on the basis of both technical surveillance and human intelligence as part of the ongoing investigation into the suicide bombing at an imambargah on the outskirts of Islamabad. At least 36 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber struck during Friday prayers.

Security sources said intelligence and law enforcement agencies jointly carried out the raids in Peshawar and Nowshera, leading to key arrests connected to the attack.

Raid in Nowshera

According to police officials, one of the raids took place in the Hakeemabad area of Nowshera district late at night. During the operation, an exchange of fire occurred between security forces and suspected militants.

A Nowshera police official confirmed that an assistant sub-inspector was martyred, while a constable sustained injuries during the crossfire.

“Yes, a raid was conducted in the district, and an exchange of fire took place,” the official said, adding that the operation was part of a broader investigation into the Islamabad suicide bombing.

The official, who requested anonymity, noted that multiple law enforcement agencies participated in the raid but declined to provide further details.

The attack targeted Imambargah Qasr-i-Khadijatul Kubra, located on the outskirts of the federal capital.

Friday’s bombing occurred less than three months after another suicide blast outside the district and sessions court building in Islamabad’s G-11 sector on November 11, 2025, which killed 12 people and injured more than 30 others.

The latest attack is the deadliest in Islamabad since September 2008, when a suicide truck bombing at the Marriott Hotel claimed the lives of at least 60 people.

Authorities say investigations are ongoing, and further arrests are expected as security forces continue to dismantle the network behind the attack.
Tagged:

CounterTerrorism

SecurityForces

IslamabadAttack

ImambargahBlast
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