Key suspect of army school attack handed over to Pakistan

A key suspect in the Pakistani Taliban's deadliest attack on an army-run school was deported from Italy and handed over to the authorities in Islamabad on Thursday for questioning, officials said.

The attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar last December had nearly killed 150 students and staffers in one of the worst brutal attacks in Pakistan.

Usman Ghani was arrested with the help of the international police or Interpol and was repatriated to Islamabad on a private airline early on Thursday. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) took custody of the accused upon his arrival.

According to an FIA official, a suspect, who was caught earlier for his involvement in the attack, disclosed about Usman that he had fled to Italy, a few days after the attack on Dec. 16 last year.

He added that the suspect Usman Ghani belongs to Swabi district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and is also involved in other anti-state activities.

The suspect was shifted for interrogation shortly after he was handed over to the FIA at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport, officials told the media.

The army spokesman, Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa, had earlier said that 12 suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack. They all belonged to the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Security officials say that the attack was planned by Mullah Fazlullah, the TTP chief. Officials believe Fazlullah has fled to Afghanistan after a massive military operation in Swat valley in 2009. Afghan authorities dispute the claim.

A group of Taliban suicide bombers had stormed the Army Public School in reaction to the military operation in North Waziristan tribal region where the security forces have now taken control of most of the areas. Around 3,000 Taliban and other militants have been killed since the operation had been started in June 2014. Endit