LAHORE : Punjab’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has arrested a YouTuber M Saad, son of Riaz and registered a case against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, over allegations of links with the banned organisation Al-Qaeda.
According to the FIR, the case was lodged on the complaint of a CTD official following an operation conducted on April 27, 2026. The official stated that at around 3.30am, a CTD team present at GPO Chowk on Mall Road received information from an informer about a suspect allegedly associated with a proscribed organisation, accused of persuading individuals to join it and distributing prohibited literature.
Acting on the information, a raid was conducted and the suspect identified by the informer was taken into custody. He disclosed his identity as M Saad. During a search of his bag, authorities reported recovering five copies of a book related to Osama bin Laden, declared prohibited, along with an alleged membership card linked to the banned organisation.
The FIR further states that earlier information had also been received regarding a suspect linked to a proscribed outfit in the Sarai area along Lahore Road. In a subsequent operation at around 5.00am, another individual identified as Nadeem, a resident of Lahore, was taken into custody. Authorities reported recovering five banned books, a membership card associated with a proscribed organisation, and Rs2,050 in cash, which were seized as evidence.
The case has been registered under Sections 11(2) and 11-F(2) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, along with Section 154 of the Criminal Procedure Code. According to the FIR, further investigation is under way, and the suspects along with the recovered material have been handed over to the investigation officer.
The accused’s wife, Ayesha Qayyum, alleged in a post on X that 12 to 13 masked men entered their home around 3:30am and took him away, disputing the official account of the arrest. She also alleged that the FIR was registered after legal pressure and termed the charges baseless. The arrested individual is associated with a YouTube channel.
