Pakistan arrests police constable linked to deadly 2023 Peshawar bombing

Authorities announced Tuesday the arrest of a Pakistani police constable suspected of assisting a suicide bomber in last year’s deadly mosque attack within a police residential area in Peshawar.

The suspect, Mohammad Wali, allegedly facilitated the January 30, 2023, attack that killed more than 100 people, mostly police officers, and injured over 200 others in Peshawar's secure Red Zone area.

The explosion tore through the mosque, collapsing a wall of the prayer hall and part of its roof as up to 350 worshipers gathered for afternoon prayers. The mosque sits within a compound housing the provincial police headquarters.

Authorities use heavy machinery to clear the rubble and search for victims a day after a suicide blast at a mosque inside the police headquarters in Peshawar on January 31, 2023.AFP

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat confirmed Wali’s arrest in a press briefing, describing the case as a significant investigative breakthrough.

Hayat said Wali, apprehended by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Peshawar’s Ring Road, was found with two suicide vests in his possession.

According to Hayat, Wali joined the police force on Dec. 31, 2019, but allegedly took leave in February 2021 to travel to Afghanistan, where he established links with Jamaatul Ahrar, a banned splinter group of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Authorities use heavy machinery to clear the rubble and search for victims a day after a suicide blast at a mosque inside the police headquarters in Peshawar on January 31, 2023.AFP

Wali’s alleged involvement went beyond facilitation, Hayat noted. Authorities believe he provided the bomber with police gear, including a uniform and helmet, allowing the attacker to circumvent security checks.

Wali also allegedly sent detailed maps of the police line area through encrypted messaging apps. Hayat added that the facilitator received PKR 200,000 for his role, transferred via hawala channels from Peshawar’s Chawk Yadgar area.