The most wanted terrorist Asim Ghafoor, alias Qasim Sukkurwala was killed in an encounter with a team of the Crime Investigation Department (CID) Civil Lines Police early Wednesday in southern Karachi, the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported.  

A senior police official was quoted as saying in Karachi that Asim was a close associate of Omar Sheikh and Amjad Farooqui and he carried a head money of 50,0000 rupees (about US$8,500).

Sheikh, the top associate of Osama bin Laden, was arrested in 2002 in Lahore, capital of Punjab Province and handed over to the United States. While Farooqui, the leader of al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan, was killed by the security forces two months ago in central Pakistan.

The police official said that the alleged terrorist was wanted by law enforcement agencies in different cases of ambush on police parties, attempt of murders and terrorist activities.

CID had reports that Asim was hiding in a house located in Saeedabad area in Baldia town for the last couple of days and the department constituted a team to arrest him.

When the team surrounded the house, Asim opened fire on the police. The alleged terrorist was seriously injured in the exchange of fire. He later succumbed to lethal wounds, said the police official.

(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2004)