The mastermind of terrorist attack on Karachi Police Office (KPO) has been killed along with a companion in a police encounter in Karachi, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Monday.

The Counter-Terrorism Department personnel shot dead the two terrorists in Manghopir area of Karachi.

According to CTD officials, the slain terrorists were identified as Iryadullah son of Gul Qadir Khan and Abdul Waheed son of Saif Mali Khan.

CTD Officials said 26-year-old Iryadulllah was the Karachi commander of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) while the other terrorist was 23-year-old.  

A suicide vest, five different weapons and two motorcycles were also seized during the CTD action.

A team of Bomb Disposal Squad defused the suicide jacket.

For further legal proceedings, bodies of both the terrorists were shifted to Jinnah Hospital.

According to CTD sources, two terrorists had already been arrested and identified as Abdul Aziz Siddiquie and Mehran Habibi. Both were the facilitators of the KPO attackers as they came on a motorbike while the attackers were riding in a car.

The third terrorist who had been killed during the KPO attack has now been identified as Yasir, the CTD sources said, adding Yasir belonged to Afghanistan, that’s why the investigators could not obtain any data about him from Nadra.

The sources said the terrorists had made the plan to strike KPO in Afghanistan and started recce of their target about eight months ago.

On February 17, five people were killed in a terrorist attack on KPO. The hours-long combat between terrorists and law-enforcement agencies — comprising Pakistan Army Special Service Group (SSG), Pakistan Rangers Sindh and Sindh Police, at the KPO located at Sharea Faisal left five people martyred and 18 injured. All three terrorists belonging to the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in the action.

Witnesses had said that the terrorists had left their car outside the Saddar Police Line family quarters, walked to the KPO and entered after cutting the barbed wire. They had added that there were two other people with them who had pointed out the KPO to the militants and fled after hugging them.

The KPO building was severely damaged due to the incident and the terrorists had the support of “foreign powers” for their planned operation.

Reporters Imtiaz Ali and Salman Saleem