Drone hits outer wall of Lahore CTD headquarters

A surveillance drone struck the outer wall of the Counter Terrorism Department headquarters in Lahore at about 12:30am on Sunday and fell to the ground, setting off a security response at the facility, police said.

According to police, the drone came from the Jallo Mor direction. It hit the outer wall of the building and dropped outside, in the early hours between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Daily Times reported the police account of the crash.

Officials said the device appeared to have been used to watch areas inside the CTD compound. Its cameras and battery lights were still working when security staff recovered it, according to the same report.

Security personnel took the drone into custody and called the bomb disposal squad. Specialists examined the device and declared it clear, police said, ending the immediate alarm at the headquarters.

Investigators suspect unidentified people flew the drone towards the facility with what police described as terrorist intent. No group or individual has been named and no arrest has been reported. Officers have not said where the flight began, whether the drone was steered from nearby or followed a set route, or what it recorded.

The CTD headquarters security team lodged an application at Harbanspura police station. Officers said they were examining the incident from all possible angles and would take legal action on the basis of what the investigation finds. Identifying the operator and establishing a motive are the stated lines of inquiry.

Bol News also reported that a surveillance drone crashed into the CTD headquarters, without further detail. No injury was reported in either account.