ISLAMABAD, Nov 25 (APP): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday that the suicide attack in the federal capital was planned from Afghanistan, and four individuals involved in facilitating the assault have been arrested.
Addressing a press conference, Minister Attaullah Tarar said that investigators have identified the perpetrator of the November 11 bombing, which killed 12 and injured 28. He confirmed the attacker was an Afghan national and said four facilitators have been arrested.
The minister said the security measures already in place at the time helped prevent an even bigger tragedy.
Attaullah Tarar said investigators found that the attack was organised in Afghanistan. He named the suspected planner as Sajidullah, alias Sheena, who admitted receiving militant training across the border.
According to him, security forces arrested four suspects within two days of the attack. He praised the Intelligence Bureau Division (IBD) and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) for their efficient work. The arrested men, Sajidullah, Kamran Khan, Muhammad Zali, and Shah Munir, are accused of helping to plan the bombing and providing the suicide vest used by the bomber, identified as Afghan national Usman Shinwari from Nangarhar province.
Minister Information said Sajidullah, alias Sheena, joined Tehreek-e-Taliban in Afghanistan, back in 2015, and was trained at several militant camps. He met senior leaders, including Dadullah and Noor Wali Mehsud, in 2023 and again in August 2025, where attacks in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were planned.
Investigators have credible evidence that Sajidullah then recruited Shinwari, gave him a suicide vest, and showed him several possible targets. Based on Sajidullah’s confession, Minister Information said the vest was picked up from a graveyard in Peshawar and smuggled to Rawalpindi in a truck carrying gur (jaggery). Shinwari stayed for two days in a local hotel before being handed over to another operator.
Attaullah Tarar said the intelligence agencies, IBD and CTD, uncovered a major terrorist network and arrested four suspects within two days. He praised the security agencies for their efficient work. He added that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also praised the IBD and CTD for their swift action.
The Minister also played a video of Sajidullah alias Sheena, who was the main handler and facilitator of the suicide bomber. The transcription of the confessional video of Sajidullah is reproduced below.
“I went to Kunar, Afghanistan in 2016, where I met Abu Hamza, who was a commander of the Islamic Emirate. I stayed there for one month, received training, and then returned to Pakistan. In 2023, I went to Afghanistan again and stayed at Abu Hamza’s place. A few days later, I met Dadullah, a commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban, who forced me to take an oath of allegiance. Six months ago, Dadullah contacted me again and told me to come to Afghanistan and to bring my friend along. Muhammad Zali and I went to Jalalabad, Afghanistan. There, they told us to come to Kabul. We ate at a hotel and then went to his house. He said there was a person who would carry out a suicide attack, and that we had to deliver a jacket to him. We spent one night there and returned, while staying in contact with him. He told us to send him pictures and then go to a graveyard to collect the suicide jacket.
When we reached Peshawar, there were black and white stones placed on a grave where he had left the suicide jacket. I picked up the jacket, put it in a sack of jaggery, and went to Islamabad. After reaching Islamabad, I placed the jacket in a drain and then went to a person named Shahid Munir and informed him about the jacket. I handed the jacket over to him, and he kept it in his shop. A few days later, we received a message that a person named Usman would arrive from Afghanistan within two or three days. After some days, he reached here and sent his picture. I recognized the location and brought him along with me. He stayed with me for a day or two, and I told my family that he was a guest. Then I took him to a person named Shah Munir. He also stayed there for a day or two, and then Muhammad Zali rented a room where he stayed. After a few days, I told him to arrange his own place to stay.
Sheena said, on Friday, Muhammad Zali called me and said that we had to go to the G-11 courts, where a large number of police personnel are present. On Tuesday morning at 10 AM, I called Shah Munir, took the jacket from him, and along with Muhammad, helped the suicide bomber wear the jacket. After putting on the jacket, Qari Usman, who was the suicide bomber, recited a prayer. Then he sat on a motorcycle and went to the G-11 courts. At 1 PM, we received information that he had carried out the suicide attack.”