KABUL - A man has been detained for plotting an assassination attempt on top opposition leader Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the Afghan spy service claimed on Wednesday.

“As a result of their timely action, National Directorate of Security (’NDS) agents arrested Nazifullah, who was trying to attack Dr. Abdullah at the behest of Taliban’s Quetta Shura,” the intelligence agency said.

According to a statement from NDS, the detainee has confessed to being assigned by a Pakistani named Maulvi Sajid at a Peshawar seminary with targeting the former foreign minister.

Before he was sent to Quetta, the man was allegedly trained at the Kacha Garhi religious school for two weeks on how to use a suicide vest.

The statement said the man spent two nights with Maulvi Kandahari in Quetta before shifting to the Abdul Ghani Madrassa in Chaman town, where he was trained for another five days on using suicide vests.

He made it to Kabul after Kandahari introduced him to Haji Qasim, who brought the would-be assailant to Kabul. The detainee was quoted as saying the Quetta Shura had tasked him with assassinating Abdullah and ex-vice president Ahmad Zia Massoud.

Hussein Fazel Sancharaki, a spokesman for National Coalition of Afghanistan, told Pajhwok Afghan News he too had learnt from media about the suspected militant’s arrest.

Sancharaki hastened to add he would not comment on the issue as long as all aspects to it were not crystal clear. However, he praised the spy network for taking the suspect into custody. (Pajhwok)