Airports under terror threat?

* Circular says terrorist code-named ‘Asadullah’ given anti-aircraft machine gun and ZGO gun to target twin cities

By Shahnawaz Khan

LAHORE: The terrorists’ next possible target site can be the airport, which can lead to an attempt to highjack aircrafts, sources told Daily Times on Sunday.

The security forces have already foiled several bids to smuggle weapons onto aircrafts. In two recent attempts, the forces arrested passengers from the Karachi and Lahore airports trying to bring weapons onboard the aircraft.

On March 10, authorities arrested a passenger who tried to bring a pistol and explosive material on board a Dubai-bound flight of a private airline at the Quaid-e-Azam International Airport in Karachi. The arrested man was a resident of Rajanpur.

Authorities are still conducting an investigation to determine if the arrested man had any other accomplice travelling on the same flight, sources said.

Similarly on Saturday (March 13), the security forces foiled another attempt to bring a weapon onboard a Karachi-bound flight at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore. The security personnel recovered a disassembled pistol from the hand-carry luggage of a passenger. Sources said the criminal had tried to bring the disassembled parts of the weapon in two separate luggage bags.

The Punjab Home Department has alerted the police and other law enforcement agencies against threats of terrorist activities at sensitive locations in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Lahore, and directed them to take effective preventive measures.

A circular issued by the Punjab Home Department stated that a group of suicide bombers have been trained to target Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Lahore. The group has been provided with suicide jackets and Remote Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices (RCIDs), it said.

The circular stated that a terrorist code-named ‘Asadullah’ has been given an anti-aircraft machine gun and a ZGO gun. These guns have been mounted on hill-tops for hitting targets in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the circular stated.