The National Directorate of Security (NDS) has arrested a suspect in connection with the explosion that killed Mawlawi Abdul Rahim Shagha Hanafi, the head of the Parwan Ulema Council, last week.

In an NDS statement, officials said the suspect was Nasir Ahmad, and that he had been recruited to the Taliban two years ago. The NDS also said he been assigned to target a number of tribal elders and religious scholars.

In a video confession, the suspect said he was a student at the Madrassa where the explosion took place and that he had drawn up the plan to kill Hanafi.

The explosion took place in a classroom at a Madrassa in Parwan last week - killing Hanafi and wounding six students.  

“My name is Nasir Ahmad, son of Mohammad Rahim, and a student at Darul Uloom Madrassa in Parwan province. Two years ago I was recruited by Qari Mahbub to the Taliban. Three days before the incident Mahbub brought me the explosive device and I placed the mine under Hanafi’s cushion and as the result of blast, Hanafi lost his life,” said the suspect in his apparent confession.

According to the NDS statement, Ahmad and his group had planned to assassinate other religious scholars and tribal elders, but had been arrested by the NDS before he could carry out further attacks.

At the time of the explosion, Hanafi had been teaching a class at the Charikar city Madrassa.