Three suicide bombers armed an automatic rifle and a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) were arrested Wednesday morning in Kabul before launching an attack on the Afghan's intelligence agency's number two, Mohammad Zia, said the National Directorate of Security (NDS).
The plot had been formulated on the orders of Taliban commander Maulavi Ismail, who according to the NDS, is based in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.
"The NDS personnel have confiscated one RPG7, one Kalashnikov rifle, five magazines, 12 hand grenades, one balloon full of explosive materials and pressure cooker, 2 packs explosive materials, 18 electronic capsules, 9 remote control and a number of explosive wires while arresting the three criminals," the intelligence agency said.
The plot comes after the Taliban blamed the Afghan intelligence agency for the recent assassinations of Taliban leaders in Pakistan.
The mastermind of the attack was Shafiqullah, an origin of Tagab district in north of Kabul, the NDS said. The two others are identified as Gul Khan of Nangarhar province, who is a bomb maker, and Hamidullah of Kunduz province, an expert on remote-controlled explosives.
The intelligence agency did not comment on how the plot was planned.
The bombers in initial investigations have confessed that the plan was on orders of Maulavi Ismail and Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, a senior Taliban leader, both in Pakistan, the NDS concluded.