Islamabad, Sep 5 (IANS): The mastermind behind the massacree of 10 foreign tourists, including two Chinese, in northern area of Pakistan was arrested by the law enforcement agencies and police, Xinhua reported Thursday citing local media.

Geo TV, quoting the chief secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan, reported that the terrorist and the mastermind of the attack, Qareebullah alias Hasan was arrested along with his henchman in a raid launched by security forces and police in Thak area of Chilas district. Hasan was the former regional commander of the banned outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.

There was no report about the time of the arrest.

On June 23, some unidentified gunmen wearing security forces' uniform, shot dead 10 foreign tourists and their local guide at the Nanga Parbat base camp in Gilgit-Baltistan region.

The attack was claimed by both the Pakistani Taliban and Jundullah, a sectarian extremist group.

The Pakistani government condemned the attack and security forces launched a search operation in the region to arrest the attackers.

A few days later, terrorists also killed two Pakistani Army officers and a senior police official who were investigating the massacre.

The overnight attack by the terrorists, which caused international uproar, was one of the worst attacks on foreigners in Pakistan in the last decade.

The incident made the Pakistani government take steps to strengthen security for foreign tourists.