Police Constable Arrested as Key Facilitator of Peshawar Mosque Suicide Attack That Killed 86 Officers

A police constable, identified as Mohammad Wali, has been arrested in connection with the devastating suicide attack that killed at least 86 police officials at a mosque in the Police Lines area of Peshawar in January 2023. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General (IG) Akhtar Hayat Gandapur confirmed Wali’s arrest during a press conference in Peshawar on Tuesday.

The explosion took place during Zuhr prayers in the mosque’s central hall, causing the roof to collapse on those gathered in worship. The attacker detonated himself in the front row, resulting in catastrophic casualties. Sahibzada Noor Ul Amin, the mosque’s imam, was among those martyred in the attack. The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the incident.

According to IG Gandapur, Wali, who worked as a police constable, was apprehended a few days prior at Jamil Chowk, where two suicide vests were also recovered. Investigations revealed that Wali had connections to the terrorist group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) and had been in contact with their operatives since 2021.

Gandapur stated that Wali first reached out to JuA through social media and later traveled to Afghanistan to meet JuA members, including the group’s terrorist spokesperson, Mohammad Khurasani. Although Wali was briefly detained by Afghan authorities, a JuA operative named Junaid arranged for his release. Wali then continued his coordination with JuA, sharing sensitive information such as maps of Police Lines and confirming the success of the suicide blast after it occurred.

In exchange for his role in the attack, Wali reportedly received 200,000 PKR via the hawala-hundi network at Chowk Yadgar. He had also been involved in targeting a local priest in 2022 and had a role in the Warsak Road bombing, police officials said.

During the press briefing, a video showed Wali confessing to his involvement in the crimes. In his statement, Wali explained that he joined the police force in December 2019 and established contact with JuA’s Junaid on social media two years later, eventually traveling to Afghanistan to affiliate himself with the group. He expressed his personal commitment to the JuA cause.

Following the Police Lines incident, Wali was reportedly posted to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) security team in Peshawar. His arrest highlights the troubling infiltration of terrorist sympathizers within state institutions, according to law enforcement.