Mohammed Aqeel
Mohammed Aqeel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | محمد عقیل |
| Died | 19 December 2014 |
| Other name | Dr. Usman |
| Occupation | soldier in Pakistan Army Medical Corps |
| Known for | member of the banned terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, belonged to Kahuta Tehsil in Punjab |
Mohammed Aqeel (Urdu: محمد عقیل; alias Dr. Usman) (d. 19 December 2014, by hanging) was a member of the banned terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and former soldier in Pakistan Army Medical Corps where he worked until 2006.[1] He belonged to Kahuta Tehsil in Punjab.[2]
Crimes
Aqeel was suspected of involvement in the assassination of Lieutenant General Mushtaq Ahmed Baig, the Surgeon General of the Army Medical Corps, in February 2008.[3] Dr. Usman was also arrested in connection with the Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing in September 2008.[4]
Aqeel is the suspected mastermind of the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team on 3 March 2009. On 9 March 2009, he escaped when police raided his hideout early in the morning.[5] He has also been suspected of an attack on retired General Pervez Musharraf.[6] He was said to have fled to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas several days prior to the raid.[7]
Months later Aqeel took part in the attack on the Pakistan Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. He was captured in October 2009 while holding hostages and trying to blow himself up; Aqeel was injured in the process.[8]
Death sentence
In 2011, Aqeel was sentenced to death by a military court.[9] During the government of Asif Ali Zardari, he filed a mercy plea but it was rejected.[10]
After the 2014 Peshawar school attack, the moratorium on capital punishment was lifted in terror-related cases by Nawaz Sharif, after which Aqeel along with Arshad Mehmood, who was convicted of an assassination attempt on General Pervez Musharraf, were scheduled for execution. On the evening of 19 December 2014, Aqeel and Arshad were both hanged at Faisalabad Jail.[11][12]
References
- ↑ Haider, Mateen (20 December 2014). "Dr Usman, Arshad Mehmood executed in Faisalabad". Dawn. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ↑ Niaz, Tahir (13 October 2009). "Who is 'Dr Osman'?". Daily Times. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
- ↑ "Soldiers turning rogue Pak's new terror headache Chidanand Rajghatta". Times of India. TNN. 13 October 2009. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
- ↑ "Four Marriott accused linked to suicide network, ATC told". Daily Times. 25 October 2008.
- ↑ "Lahore attack 'mastermind' escapes police raid in Punjab". The Times. 9 March 2009. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010.
- ↑ Mastermind behind attack on Sri Lankan cricket team identified, Xinhua News Agency, 9 March 2009
- ↑ Bungled raid raises doubts about Pakistan's will to fight extremism, The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 March 2009
- ↑ "GHQ operation completed with the arrest of injured terrorists' top dog". The News. 11 October 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- ↑ "Preparations to execute Dr Usman underway". Pak Tribune. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ↑ "COAS signs death warrant of GHQ attack mastermind, will be hung in 24 hours". The News Tribe. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ↑ "Pakistan makes final preparations to hang two terrorists". The Times of India. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ↑ "GHQ attacker along with five others to be hanged in next 24 hours". Pakistan Today. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2014.