Three policemen were also wounded in the shoot-out between the LeJ and the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) police.
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Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Thursday killed as many as four alleged terrorists including founding member of banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) Haroon Bhatti in an encounter in Badami Bagh area of Lahore. The CIA with the help of Interpol had arrested Bhatti along with his four accomplices in Dubai and brought them to Lahore on October 22.
Police said the raiding party resorted to retaliatory firing because of which the attackers were killed.
The slain militants were identified as Haroon Rasheed Bhatti, Umair Nadeem, Nauman Yaseen and Umair Hassan.
Haroon Bhati who was also accompanying the police raid party was also killed by terrorists’ fire.
Police said the “terrorists” were also involved in killing of three police officials at a picket set up at the Babu Sabu interchange, besides killing of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat President Maulana Shams ur Rehman Moavia, Shakar Ali Rizvi advocate, Dr Syed Ali Haider and his son Syed Murtaza Haider.
Police officials feared that the men could have conducted massive sectarian-related terrorist attacks. “Bhatti was the last top leader of LeJ and there is no other potential activist of LeJ is left now to lead this militant organisation”, he claimed. Bhatti was considered a close aide of Malik Ishaq, the former chief of LeJ who was killed in a similar incident earlier in July this year.
It should be mentioned here that police personnel launched the sting operation against the terrorists in Badami Bagh on a tip-off provided by an arrested terrorist.
Police said the “terrorists” were involved in killing of nine officials in Army Camp Gujrat, besides murder of three police officials in Muzaffargarh.
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Police also recovered 10 live hand grenades, two SMG rifles and other munition from the possession of dead militants. Virk said the suspects were also involved in attacks on journalist Raza Rumi and playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed.
