PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Samiullah Afridi, the counsel of Dr Shakeel Afridi who helped the CIA track down former Al Qaeda Chief Osama bin Laden, was shot dead near Peshawar on Tuesday evening.
The SSP Operations said that Samiullah Afridi was on his way home in his car when he was shot at Mathra near Peshawar by unidentified assailants. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The sources said that Samiullah Afridi had recently returned to Pakistan after having spent three months abroad. He had fled the country after receiving threats from militants.
Samiullah Afridi was the second member of the legal team to flee following militant threats.
Meanwhile, the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) faction Jundullah has taken responsibility of the attack.
Dr Shakeel Afridi was arrested after US Special Forces killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011 in Abbottabad. Following the arrest, he was sentenced to 33 years in jail for membership of militant group Laskhar-e-Islam, an accusation he denies.
Later in 2014, his conviction was overturned due to ‘procedural errors’ and a retrial was ordered.
Dr Shakeel Afridi has since been facing murder charges relating to the death of a patient nine years ago.
