LONDON: The London Metropolitan Police on Monday morning arrested a British citizen of Pakistani origin in the murder of former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq, making the first arrest in the case.
The arrest was made at the Heathrow Airport when he returned from Canada.
Officials from London Police confirmed that the 52-year-old suspect arrested is believed to be part of the conspiracy to murder Dr Imran Farooq.
The Metropolitan Police also confirmed that further arrests would be made in the case.
MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq was on his way home from work when he was attacked in Green Lane on Sept 16, 2010 outside his London home. A post-mortem examination found that he died from multiple stab wounds and blunt trauma to the head.
This is the first arrest carried out by London Police in relation to his killing, and is so far the most significant progress in the case in more than a year.
Last week, the British police searched two residential properties in London as part of an investigation into the murder.
Television reports said the police carried out a 55-hour search in two northwest London “residential addresses”. The New Scotland Yard, which raided the houses, was reported to have confiscated several documents during the search.
The TV reports suggested that one of the houses belonged to MQM chief Altaf Hussain. However, there was no independent confirmation of the report.
Farooq, one of the founding members of the MQM, then known as the Mohajir Qaumi Movement, had been living in self-imposed exile in London since 1999.
The party later transformed into the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and became the fourth largest political force in parliament, and is the largest political party in Karachi, Pakistan’s business hub by the Arabian Sea.
