Pakistani police has claimed it killed head of banned sectarian group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Malik Ishaq on Wednesday while he attempted to escape during his moving between prisons.
Ishaq was on a US list of global terrorists. The group he founded has claimed responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of minority Shi’ite Muslims.
Ishaq and his two sons were being moved between detention centres when a group of armed men attacked the convoy and freed them, police officers told Reuters.
“Twelve to 15 terrorists attacked the police party … freed the accused and fled away on motorcycles,” police spokesperson Nabila Ghazanfar said.
Ishaq and his two sons were subsequently killed in police firing, said the officers on condition of anonymity. Eleven other Islamists are also said to have been killed in the shoot-out in Muzaffargarh district. Around six policemen were injured.
The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group is said to have close links with terror group Al-Qaeda.
