Punjab counter-terror outfit claims arrest of Al Qaeda leader

LAHORE: The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has announced the arrest of a senior Al Qaeda leader, Aminul Haq Saam Khan, also known as Dr. Amin, who is believed to have been a close aide of Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks.

The CTD reported that Haq was apprehended during a significant operation conducted by the department’s special forces in Sarai Alamgir, Gujrat. "In a breakthrough, senior Al Qaeda leader Aminul Haq, a close associate of Osama bin Laden, has been arrested by the CTD during an intelligence-based operation," said CTD DIG Usman Akram Gondal.

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Speaking to the media at the Central Police Office (CPO) on Friday, DIG Gondal highlighted that Haq, a key figure in Al Qaeda, was on the UN's global list of terrorists. He added that Haq was planning large-scale terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

However, a recent report submitted to the UN Security Council contradicts the CTD's claim. The report, compiled by the ISIL and Al Qaeda/Taliban Monitoring Team, noted that Pakistani authorities had arrested Amin Muhammad ul-Haq Saam Khan for illegal weapon possession while crossing from Afghanistan into Pakistan in March 2024. The report also revealed that groups such as the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were being supported by Al Qaeda cells.

Despite this, the CTD Punjab has registered a legal case against Aminul Haq, accusing him of planning attacks on significant installations in the province. DIG Gondal stated that Haq was arrested in Sarai Alamgir, Gujrat district.

"Aminul Haq was a close associate of Osama bin Laden since 1996 and was involved in several terrorist activities," Gondal said. He declared the arrest an important development in the fight against terrorism in Pakistan and globally.

In response to a question, Gondal mentioned that the apprehended terrorist held a Pakistani Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) with addresses in Lahore and Haripur. The CTD is investigating how Haq entered Pakistan and is extending the scope of investigations in the public and national interest.

Last month, the federal government approved a reinvigorated national counter-terrorism campaign, Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, symbolizing the national resolve to eradicate extremism and terrorism from the country.

Official sources in Gujrat confirmed that Haq was arrested by CTD at Fawara Chowk, Sarai Alamgir, during a raid, and banned literature was confiscated from him. The CTD Gujranwala police station has formally lodged a case against Haq under various sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Haq was a resident of Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.

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