Asif Hassan—AFP
Officials say the militants belong to a banned group allied with Al Qaeda.
Police in Karachi have arrested four men for planning and financing the deadly attack on the city’s international airport in June that left 38 dead, officials said on Tuesday.
The brazen attack was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban and led to the collapse of peace talks between the government and the militants, prompting the launch of Operation Zarb-e-Azb against militant hideouts in North Waziristan.
Three suspects were arrested Monday night after a forth man who had been detained earlier led the police to his accomplices, police said. “We arrested all of them from different places in Karachi and they belonged to a banned group linked with Al Qaeda,” said Raja Umar Khatab, a senior police official.
Police say that the four men arranged Rs. 20 million to fund the attack. “They sent the money to the bordering areas to finance the training and acquiring weapons for the attack,” Khatab said.
Ten militants attacked the airport on a Sunday night in June, taking control of area until dawn. They stormed the terminal disguised as airport guards equipped with suicide vests, grenades and rocket launchers.