Pakistan Arrests 5,000 Responding To Lahore Park Easter Bombing

Pakistan government detained at least 5,000 militant suspects in relation to the Lahore park suicide blasts on Easter that killed more than 72 people and injured 350 others.

Most of the suspects were later released, but investigators are still keeping in custody 216 people.

The arrests were made after series of raids aimed to take under control anyone suspected of violent Islamist extremism amid new threat from Taliban faction who had taken responsibility of the Lahore attack.

The new threat warns the next target of the Taliban faction could be Pakistani media.

State minister for Punjab province Rana Sanaullah from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s ruling party said, “5,221 people have initially been detained. 5,005 have been released after verifying their identities, and 216 people have been referred for further investigation.”

According to army spokesman Gen. Asim Bajwa, they are conducting raids across Punjab in response to the Lahore park suicide bombing.

He added the army as well as the paramilitary Rangers are currently carrying out operations in Rawalpindi, Multan and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, for two days the mobile phone networks were blocked in the capital for security reasons.

The Lahore park suicide bombing was the deadliest attack in Pakistan since 2014 school massacre that killed 134 students.