Islamabad: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday announced that the alleged mastermind behind the deadly suicide bombing at a mosque in Islamabad has been arrested along with four facilitators, following intelligence-based raids in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Briefing the media, Naqvi said coordinated overnight operations carried out by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police led to the arrests in multiple locations, including Peshawar and Nowshera. He added that operations were ongoing to track down anyone else involved in the attack.
Alleged mastermind among four arrested after Pakistan mosque blast https://t.co/mlX7uZtt2K
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) February 7, 2026
The bombing earlier this week killed at least 31 people and left scores injured, triggering outrage and condemnation. The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for the assault.
Naqvi said the alleged mastermind — described as an Afghan national linked to Daesh — is now in custody. According to the minister, preliminary findings suggest that the planning and training for the attack were carried out across the border in Afghanistan. He alleged coordination among various militant outfits and warned that counterterror operations would continue.
Praising security and intelligence agencies for their response, Naqvi termed the investigation a “test case” and said swift raids following the blast led to the capture of facilitators. During the operations, an assistant sub-inspector of KP police was killed and several personnel were injured.
The minister also urged citizens to cooperate with authorities, describing the country as being in a “state of war” against terrorism. He emphasised the importance of community vigilance and reporting suspicious activity, claiming that many planned attacks were being foiled by security agencies even as criticism mounted over security lapses.
🚨🇵🇰JUST IN Sources:
During the suicide attack carried out in Islamabad, Hafiz Zubair Mohad was also present in Islamabad▪️Information obtained from sources indicates that Hafiz Zubair Mohad, a key commander of ISIS-Khorasan who is reported to have close ties with the Pakistani… pic.twitter.com/9SCvOxYVTc
— Afghanistan Defense (@AFGDefense) February 8, 2026
The arrests come amid heightened tensions and renewed debate over Pakistan’s security situation, with authorities pledging to pursue all those responsible as the investigation continues.
