Peshawar mosque attack: Conspiracy hatched in Afghanistan, says Pakistan

The plan to target a mosque in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was hatched in Afghanistan, Pakistan's law enforcement agency said on Tuesday. On January 30, a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during afternoon prayers at a mosque in Peshawar. The attack claimed the lives of 101 people and injured more than 200 others.

The bomber changed into a police uniform to sneak into the heavily guarded zone. He was riding a motorcycle wearing a helmet and mask, a top police official said. The suicide attack on a mosque in Peshawar was conceived in Afghanistan. It was funded by a Kabul-based intelligence agency, investigating officials said.

The motorcycle used in the blast was sold twice at Sarki Gate, a busy market in Peshawar. The police announced that they had arrested the seller of the motorcycle. Police sources said security agencies have arrested 17 suspects involved in the blast. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Police Chief Moazzam Jah Ansari said the identity of the suicide bomber was identified using his DNA samples. The bomber left his helmet at the gate before entering the high-security mosque, which was captured on CCTV footage.

"The facilitators behind this heinous attack will be arrested soon," he said. Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorist attacks, mostly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but also in Baluchistan and Punjab.

The outlawed Pakistani Taliban (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the outfit later distanced itself from the attack. During the Apex Committee meeting held earlier this month, Pakistan's civilian and military leadership decided to seek the intervention of Afghan Taliban chief Haibuttallah Akhundzada to control the TTP.