Pakistan dentist with al-Qaeda links held for terror attack

A dentist with close links with the al-Qaeda has been arrested in Pakistan for his alleged involvement in the brazen terrorist attack on the minority Ismaili community last year that killed 45 people.

Usman Ali Khan was arrested after a shootout near a bus stop on Monday. A Kalashnikov rifle was seized from him.

Khan's arrest is the third incident when a highly-educated professional has been arrested in connection with the case. Earlier, Adil Masood Butt, vice-chancellor of a private college and university, and Khalid Yousuf Bari, a former engineer at the national airline were arrested, The Express Tribune reported.

While Bari is imprisoned, Butt is still on his 90-day preventive custody with the police unable to bring concrete evidence against both. The arrests highlight a worrying-trend in Pakistan, where more and more highly-educated people are linked to extremist groups.

Station House Officer of Preedy Police Kamal Naseem said that Khan, who runs a clinic in the city, has been working for al-Qaeda since 2008 and was also friends with Saad Aziz, the alleged mastermind of the attack on Ismaili Muslim community.

In May 2015, armed men stormed a bus carrying members of the Ismaili community here and opened fire on them. 45 people had died in the brazen attack and all the victims were shot from a close-range. Naseem said the dentist used to generate funds for al-Qaeda and also gave shelter to militants of the globally proscribed organisation.