CTD Punjab Arrests Close Aide of Osama bin Laden in Gujrat

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab announced Friday the arrest of Amin al-Haq, a close aide of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, during an intelligence-based operation.

DIG CTD Usman Akram Gonadal stated that the high-profile terrorist was apprehended from Sarai Alamgir, a town in the Gujrat district. Associated with bin Laden since 1996, al-Haq was one of the top fighters in the extremist group and involved in several terrorist activities. He also coordinated security for the deceased Al-Qaeda chief and has been designated as a terrorist by the United Nations.

“A case has been registered against Amin al-Haq,” said DIG Gonadal. “Authorities are investigating what this high-profile terrorist was doing in Pakistan.” Al-Haq was last seen in Afghanistan in 2021 and possesses a Pakistani ID Card with addresses in Lahore and Haripur.

According to the United Nations Security Council, al-Haq, born in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province in 1960, was designated a terrorist on January 25, 2001. The US eliminated bin Laden in a 2011 raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, following the deadly 9/11 attacks.