Pakistani police forces have arrested five suspects in connection with the abduction of an Iranian attache in the northern tribal region.

“According to their latest report, North-West Frontier police detained five individuals during an operation they carried out to find the hideout of the abductors,” Iran’s Consulate in Peshawar told IRIB in Islamabad on Saturday.

“Pakistani police have launched a second operation to locate the hideout this morning,” he added.

Attarzadeh Niyaki was kidnapped on his way to the Iranian consulate on Thursday in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. His Pakistani police guard, Sajjad Hussain, was killed during the attack.

After the incident on Thursday, Peshawar police chief, Muhammad Suleman Khan, told reporters that investigators had made a detailed inspection of the crime scene and found important clues that would help ensure the safe release of the Iranian attaché.

On Friday, Pakistani prime ministerial advisor, Rehman Malik, claimed that the notorious Taliban umbrella group, Tehrik-e-Taliban, was responsible for the abduction of Niyaki.

Iran’s Ambassador, Mashallah Shakeri, has backed up the Pakistani police report and said that it corresponds with information the embassy has obtained from the Peshawar consulate.

However, Shakeri has pointed out that there is no reliable information available about the fate of Attarzadeh Niyaki, as no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Press TV