In a significant development, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab announced on Friday that law enforcement officers had arrested Amin al-Haq, a close aide of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.
DIG CTD Usman Akram Gonadal reported that the arrest took place during an intelligence-based operation in Sarai Alamgir, a town in the Gujrat district. Al-Haq, associated with bin Laden since 1996, was among the top fighters of the extremist group and had been involved in numerous terrorist activities.
Al-Haq, who coordinated security for the deceased Al-Qaeda chief, has been designated as a terrorist by the United Nations. The CTD confirmed that a case had been registered against him, and authorities are investigating his presence in Pakistan.
“He was last seen in Afghanistan in 2021. He also possesses a Pakistani ID card with addresses in Lahore and Haripur,” added the CTD officer.
The United Nations Security Council’s website indicates that Haq, born in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province in 1960, was designated as a terrorist on January 25, 2001.
In 2011, U.S. troops conducted a raid on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eliminating the global terrorist responsible for the deadly 9/11 attacks.
A private news outlet reported the arrest and the details surrounding this high-profile capture.