New Leads on Pole’s Death in Pakistan

Since May, five men have been arrested in conjunction with the kidnapping and beheading of Polish geologist Piotr Stańczak in Pakistan by Taliban militants. The murder, which took place on 7 February of this year, was carried out after Pakistani authorities refused to bend to the Taliban’s demands of the release of imprisoned militants.

One of the suspects is a former member of the Pakistani Parliament with ties to the Taliban. Shah Abdul Aziz was arrested but not charged in May over his involvement in the kidnapping, and was picked up again on Friday on suspicion of organising the kidnapping. Aziz had been elected to parliament in 2002 as a member of a pro-Taliban religious party. Another man, Atta Ullah Khan, was arrested on 16 July, and is said to be a Taliban militant who admitted to being involved in the murder. On Sunday, three more men were arrested, all suspected of being involved in the kidnapping and/or murder.

An anonymous senior security official told the AP: “We cannot say at this stage that these people were involved in the murder of the Polish engineer.” All of the suspects were arrested based on a statement by Atta Ullah Khan according to the official, and their ties to the kidnapping and murder are still under investigation.

The Polish government has offered a $290,000 reward for any information that will lead to the capture of those directly responsible for Stańczak’s death.

See also: Polish Engineer Refused Islam