Pakistani counterterrorism authorities arrested investigative journalist and YouTuber Muhammad Saad bin Riaz in Lahore during a joint intelligence operation, alleging that he had links to al-Qaida. Authorities said the arrest was made based on confirmed intelligence.
Security sources said an al-Qaida identification card, images of Osama bin Laden, and related literature were recovered from a bag in his possession. Riaz, who was also identified as Muhammad Saad, is a 31-year-old academic scholar, researcher, and journalist from Lahore.
Muhammad Saad completed his MPhil in political science from Government College University and has worked for the past two years with the EON YouTube channel as a researcher and content strategist.
An intelligence official told The Media Line that the department had received information that a suspect was encouraging people to join the banned al-Qaida organization and distributing prohibited literature to them. The official said swift action was taken and a man, who identified himself as Muhammad Saad, was taken into custody.
According to the official, five copies of a book related to Osama bin Laden were recovered from his bag during the search, and “an al-Qaida membership card was also found in his possession.” In addition, Muhammad Saad had apparently pinned a poster featuring Osama bin Laden’s image on his X account, @Hafizsaadriaz.
A case has been registered against Muhammad Saad and he was shifted to a safe house for further interrogation. Meanwhile, his wife, Ayesha A. Qayyum, rejected the allegations made by the counterterrorism department as baseless. In a statement posted on social media, she said the case was “an illegal act, a blatant violation of the requirements of justice, and driven by mala fide intent.”
In September 2024, reports emerged that Hamza bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden, was alive and regrouping al-Qaida in Afghanistan, contradicting earlier claims that he was killed in a 2019 CIA airstrike.
It is believed that Hamza bin Laden and al-Qaida’s de facto leader, Saif al-Adel, are using safe houses in several Afghan provinces, including Kandahar, Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan, Herat, and Helmand. These safe houses reportedly facilitate the movement of al-Qaida members to and from Iran.
Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaida and mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks, was killed on May 2, 2011, in a covert US military operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Fifteen years after his killing, the alleged al-Qaida affiliation of a young scholar and social media influencer arrested in Lahore signals what some see as an alarming situation.
The case also contributes to the perception that al-Qaida may be quietly seeking to maintain or expand its influence, and according to some observers, it could be using anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian sentiments as a shield for its narrative.
