CHARSADDA, Feb 27: Police have claimed that Siar Khan alias Siaray, who was killed in an encounter on Tuesday night, had got training in Afghanistan and was wanted in various heinous crimes including the recent suicide attacks.

District Police Officer (DPO) Feroz Shah told journalists at a press briefing on Wednesday that Siar was trained in Afghanistan where he also remained in jail for two years. He was also sentenced to death but he escaped from the jail, Mr Shah claimed.

“In the garb of Taliban, the slain terrorist had wrecked horror in the area. He had been misusing the name of Taliban movement to advance his own interest. He had no connection with Taliban and had been receiving funds from abroad,” Mr Shah said.

He said that Siar had established hideout in Chapper area of the Mohmand tribal region where he trained people. The tribal administration had raided the hideout and recovered heavy weapons, ammunition, vehicles and jackets.

“He established torture cells and a private jail inside the hideout,” said DPO, adding that security agencies strongly believed that slain terrorist was foreign agent.

Intelligence agencies believed that Siar, who had been awarded capital punishment in Afghanistan after captured by the Northern Alliance forces following the fall of the Taliban in November, 2001, had been recruited by the Afghan and Indian intelligence services and allowed to go scot-free to carry out attacks in Pakistan.

Mr Shah claimed that Siar was mastermind of suicide attack on public meeting of former interior minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao in April 2007 and was also behind another suicide attack inside a mosque in December last, beside explosion at the ANP’s election meeting.

The DPO said that Siar was also wanted by police in the murder of deputy director of Intelligence Bureau Nisar Ali Khan who was shot dead on Jan 20 besides an attack at a checkpost in Hari Chand. Apart from suicide attack, he said, that the gang leader was also involved in bombing of CD centers, barbershops and other terrorists acts in Charsadda and its surrounding areas.