ISLAMABAD: Security agencies have arrested two key suspects linked to the suicide bombing outside Islamabad’s Judicial Complex in the G-11 area, officials confirmed Thursday. The suspects include a facilitator, detained in Rawalpindi, and a handler, taken into custody from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Both are currently being interrogated at an undisclosed location.
The deadly attack on Tuesday claimed the lives of 12 people, including lawyers and petitioners, and left at least 36 others injured. Sources revealed that the facilitator and the suicide bomber had surveyed the Judicial Complex multiple times prior to carrying out the explosion. A day earlier, police had arrested the motorcyclist who transported the bomber to the site.
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Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry confirmed that the attacker was an Afghan national, noting that he was unfamiliar with Pakistani language and currency. Chaudhry also stated that concrete evidence indicated involvement of external actors from India and Afghanistan.
The blast coincided with a counter-terrorism operation in South Waziristan, where Pakistani forces cleared Cadet College Wana of infiltrating Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that Pakistan could launch retaliatory strikes inside Afghanistan following the twin incidents.
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Pakistan has faced a surge in cross-border terrorism since the Afghan Taliban took power in 2021. In the first eight months of 2025, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone recorded over 600 terror incidents, resulting in the deaths of 138 civilians and 79 police personnel, highlighting the ongoing security challenges along the border.