Pakistani police accuse 23 people of being part of a mafia that killed a blasphemy suspect

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Police in Pakistan have arrested 23 people accused of being part of a mob that killed a man suspected of desecrating the Koran, Islam’s holy book, officials said Monday.

The suspects were charged with murder and arson at a police station in Madyan, a tourist destination in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where a mob killed the man on Thursday and burned his body.

Police initially identified the slain man as Mohammad Ismail, but on Monday said after an investigation they concluded his name was Mohammad Salman. They said his family has not yet contacted the police to receive the body.

There was no official statement from the police in Punjab, where the man lived.

However, Salman’s mother said in a short video statement that her son was addicted to drugs and used to beat her, and she had kicked him out of their home because of his violent behaviour. She said that she is a Muslim and her family is not responsible for any wrongdoing of Salman.

In Madyan, regional police chief Mohammad Ali Gandapur said on Monday that officers had arrested 23 suspects and that several raids were underway as part of efforts to apprehend all those involved in Salman’s murder.

Salman was staying at a hotel in Madyan when a crowd accused him of blasphemy.

Authorities say he was arrested on Thursday for his own protection and was being questioned by police as a crowd gathered outside the Madyan police station demanding he be handed over so they could immediately punish him for allegedly burning pages of the Koran .

According to police and government officials, officers tried to assure the crowd that Salman would be tried if he committed blasphemy, but the angry mob refused to accept the assurances and attacked the police station, injuring some officers.

The mob tore the man down and publicly killed him and burned his body.

Accusations of blasphemy are common in Pakistan. Under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic religious figures can be sentenced to death. Although authorities have yet to carry out a death penalty for blasphemy, the charges can spark riots and incite crowds to violence.

Last month, a mob in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province attacked a 72-year-old Christian after accusing him of desecrating pages of the Koran. He later died at the hospital.