Imtiaz Mir was shot dead in Karachi’s Malir area on September 21 after making remarks deemed pro-Israel.
Police said four educated suspects confessed to the killing, acting on orders from a handler abroad.
The accused are linked to the outlawed Zainabiyoun Brigade’s faction, Lashkar Sarullah.
Karachi Journalist Killed Over Pro-Israel Remarks; Four Extremists Arrested
Sindh Home Minister said journalist Imtiaz Mir was murdered by members of an Islamist group for expressing pro-Israel views; four suspects linked to Lashkar Sarullah held.
Summary
The home minister of Sindh province said that a journalist who had made pro-Israel remarks on his television show was killed in Karachi by members of an extremist Islamist organisation.
Imtiaz Mir, a journalist and anchor, was shot dead on September 21 as he was leaving his workplace in Karachi's Malir neighbourhood. Four suspected terrorists were taken into custody for his murder.
Ziaul Hasan Lanjhar, the home minister, stated on Monday that the murdered journalist was singled out because the assassins believed he was an Israeli sympathiser and because of his remarks.
Inspector General of Sindh Police Ghulam Nabi Memon and city police chief Javed Alam Odho told the media that the four arrested individuals had confessed to carrying out the killing on the orders of their handler who was based outside Pakistan.
“The arrested suspects are 'educated' individuals, and their ringleader is living in a neighbouring country,” Memon said without naming any country.
They were identified as Ajlal Zaidi, Shahab Asghar, Ahsan Abbas, and Faraz Ahmed. They are allegedly connected to 'Lashkar Sarullah,' a faction of the outlawed Zainabiyoun Brigade.
He said that all of the detained suspects had "confessed" their role in the murder and that two federal intelligence agencies had collaborated with Karachi police throughout the inquiry.
He also mentioned that one of the individuals had a prior criminal history.
According to IGP Memon, spent bullet casings found at the Kala Board, Malir, crime site matched those found in handguns taken from the detained suspects.
Published At: