ISIS In Pakistan? Police Arrest Alleged Recruiter And Funds Collector For Islamic State Group In Karachi

Police in Pakistan arrested a man Friday for allegedly recruiting youths for the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, local newspaper Dawn reported Saturday. The man was taken in custody by the counterterrorism department, which reportedly identified him as Abdul Aziz aka, Aziz Rehman.

An official for the police’s special unit said that the suspect was from Orangi Town, a neighborhood located in the northwestern part of Karachi, Dawn reported. Authorities claimed that Aziz was not only recruiting young men for ISIS but also collected funds for the militant group in Karachi and Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan.

The official revealed that Aziz said during initial investigation that he had sent three trained young men to Syria to fight alongside ISIS. One of the three men, only identified by his first name Jaffer, was killed in Syria, while the whereabouts of the other two men remains unknown.

According to the Dawn, the official said that Aziz belonged to the banned Jundullah (Haji Aqakhel group) — a terrorist militant group associated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Earlier this week, Pakistan’s counterterrorism department reportedly busted an ISIS cell in Sialkot city located in the northeastern part of the Punjab, and arrested eight suspects. During the raid, police recovered a cache of ammunition and electronic equipment, Asian News International, an Indian news agency, reported.