The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police on Monday claimed to have killed one suspected militant and detained four others allegedly linked to a banned sectarian outfit after an 'encounter' in Karachi's Korangi area.

CTD Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Amir Farooqi, addressing a press conference at CTD Civil Lines, said the five men were suspected of involvement in major terrorist acts in the metropolis and were planning more similar attacks.

Acting on a tip-off, the CTD team conducted a targeted raid in Mehran Town of Korangi in the wee hours of Monday, Farooqi said.

Following an exchange of fire, the team killed a 'militant' identified as Dildar, alias Chacha, and apprehended four others, he added.

The CTD, on the basis of the information obtained from the four suspected militants, seized a huge quantity of explosive material as well as arms and ammunition seized from a house, he said.

'Sleeper cells planning attacks'

The DIG said that Dildar was the head of a 'sleeper cell' of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (Naeem Bukhari group) and that he was an expert in making bombs.

Flanked by CTD Senior Superintendent Police Omer Shahid Hamid, Farooqi said the CTD had received information that 'sleeper cells' of militant and sectarian outfits are planning terror attacks in the metropolis.

They also received information that the banned sectarian outfit was planning a 'major terror act' in Karachi after LeJ's Naeem Bukhari and his accomplices were arrested and sentenced by the court, he said.

The DIG elaborated that relevant information was also obtained from the two other 'LeJ militants', namely Asim alias Capri and Ishaq alias Bobby who were arrested last year in the murder case of famed qawwal Amjad Sabri, among others.

He added that with the help of information gathered from Capri and Bobby as well as CTD's raids in February, the department's special team led by CTD's Raja Umer Khattab, officer in-charge of the Transnational Terrorism Intelligence Group, had unearthed a 'big network' of the LeJ who were allegedly trained "in every aspect" and equipped with funds and expertise for bomb-making to carry out terror attacks.

Major terror acts

The DIG CTD said that all five suspected militants, including the one killed, were involved in over a dozen major terror acts in the city from 2010 to 2014.

Some of these attacks included a motorcycle-fitted bomb attack on a bus carrying mourners participating in the Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain near the Nursery Bridge in 2010, as well as a deadly attack on CID Civil Lines carried out by three suicide bombers the same year.

"These militants were also facilitators of terror attack on PAF Mehran Base in year 2011," Farooqi claimed.

Besides, the five are also suspected of carrying out bomb attacks on vehicles of Navy officials in Karachi's Defence Phase-II area and at Shahrah-i-Faisal the same year.

In 2012, they allegedly attacked a bus near Delhi Colony with rickshaw carrying a bomb. Members of the Shia community were travelling in the bus they targeted.

'LeJ generates funds through drugs'

DIG Farooqi believed that convicted Naeem Bukhari as per LeJ's strategy had allegedly divided the banned sectarian outfit into different sections.

In Dec 2014, he established a sleeper cell of LeJ, comprising militants involved in targeted killings, bomb-making and providing financial assistance, he said.

It has also been revealed that banned LeJ militants were 'involved in inter-provincial drug trade' to generate funds for carrying out the terror attacks.

To a question about identity of the four held militants, CTD SSP Hamid told the media that it may not be advisable at this moment to disclose their identity as the CTD team was working in the field to arrest their accomplices.

'Old guards of Naeem Bukhari'

CTD Additional Inspector General Dr Sanaullah Abbasi told Dawn that Dildar Khan, who was killed in today's 'encounter', and the held 'militants' were 'old guards' of Naeem Bukhari.

Abbasi revealed that Dildar was the father-in-law of Bobby, who is now in jail for his alleged involvement in targeted killings of many army officials, Rangers and police officers as well as members of the Shia community.

The CTD Sindh chief said Dildar, who originally hailed from Mansehra, allegedly joined the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan in 2000, after which he joined LeJ in 2010.

He claimed that Dildar was trained in bomb-making in 2010 by accused Imran Bhatti, alias Mota, of the LeJ, who was later on killed.

Abbasi revealed that they have requested the Home Department to constitute a joint investigation team to probe the matter.

The CTD head said the seized explosives will be sent to the forensics and explosives lab for matching and analysis.