Altaf Hussain arrested in London

LONDON – Muttahida Qaumi Movement Chief Altaf Hussain has been arrested in London in the money Laundering case.

The MQM sources revealed that the London Police has arrested Altaf Hussain in the money laundering case after investigating him for several months.

 Altaf Hussain, 60, was arrested on Tuesday by Metropolitan Police at a residential address in northwest London.

Scotland Yard refused to confirm the name of the person arrested but Pakistani media, including theExpress Tribune and Dawn newspaper websites, say it is Altaf Hussain.

Scotland Yard, in a brief statement, said: “Officers are at present searching the address. Not prepared to discuss further at this stage.” 

Gunfire and protests began in the Pakistani city of Hyderabad, an MQM stronghold, within minutes of the arrest being reported.

Officers are searching a residential address in north-west London, where a 60-year-old man was detained.

Mr Hussain has lived in the UK since 1991, saying his life would be at risk if he returned to Pakistan.

Police in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, which the MQM controls, have been put on alert amid reports of violence.

Karachi and Several Cities in Sindh has been completely shut down after the news spread nationwide.

The British and Pakistan authorities have in the past expressed concerned that any arrest of Altaf Hussain could lead to violent protests in Karachi.

Shootings have been reported from some parts of the city, which BBC correspondents say is tense.

Traffic jams are reported in Karachi and other cities in Sindh province as businesses start to close and people head home fearing violence.

Security is being tightened around the British mission in the city and other buildings.

The city has been wracked by violence – much of it politically motivated.

The MQM office in the UK, where Hussain has lived for more than two decades, said it would release an official statement later on Tuesday.

Source : BBC / Al Jazeera