According to the Dawn newspaper, Akhtar was arrested in Lahore on February 26, 2008 for his alleged involvement in the attempted assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Karachi on October 18, 2007. "He is involved in the blasts in Karsaz. Therefore he has been arrested," Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz told The Associated Press, referring to the area in Karachi where the bombing happened.