CTD arrests suspect behind TTP-related graffiti slogan in Karachi – Pakistan

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday announced the arrest of a “trained militant” linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for spreading fear through graffiti near Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s mausoleum, hinting at the group’s arrival in Karachi.

CTD Senior Official Raja Umer Khattab, in a statement issued to Dawn.com, said, “The suspect belonged to the TTP’s Noor Wali group and was arrested near the Taj Complex.”

He added that a weapon was recovered from the suspect’s possession and described him as an “important member of the group.”

According to the officer, the suspect, during the interrogation, said that he received training from Afghanistan before coming to Karachi and worked at different restaurants.

He later joined a security company and guarded houses in the upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA). In his free time, he used to engage in graffiti writing in Karachi about the TTP.

The police official added that the suspect had carried out the graffiti near the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah in December 2024 under the orders of TTP commander Misbah.

“The suspect stated that he had also recorded several videos of different areas in Karachi and sent them to Afghanistan,” Khattab said, adding that the group has also posted warnings of “we are coming to Karachi” through a social media account.

The official added that the suspect was involved in TTP-related graffiti writing in DHA and was arrested through the use of technology.

According to the Global Terrorism Index 2025, the banned TTP emerged as the fastest-growing terrorist group, with a 90 per cent increase in attributed deaths. The TTP remains the deadliest terrorist organisation in Pakistan for the second year. It was responsible for 52pc of deaths in Pakistan in 2024.

The country has lately witnessed a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces, other law enforcement agencies, and security checkpoints, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Attacks escalated after the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022 and vowed to target security forces.