KHAR (TIP): One of the two Taliban militants suspected of attacking a teenage girl activist was detained by the Pakistani military in 2009 but subsequently released, intelligence officials said. Malala Yousufzai, 14, was shot and critically wounded on October 9 as she headed home from school in the northwest Swat Valley. The Taliban said they targeted Malala, a fierce advocate for girls’ education, because she promoted “Western thinking” and was critical of the militant group. They identified the man who planned the attack only as Attaullah, and said he was one of the two gunmen who shot her. The military had detained him during the army’s 2009 offensive in Swat because of suspected ties with the Pakistani Taliban, which had established effective control over the valley at the time, said two intelligence officials. Attaullah was released because of a lack of evidence linking him to specific attacks, said the officials. It’s unclear how long he was held. Believed to be in his 30s, Attaullah is on the run and may have fled to Afghanistan, they said. He organized the attack on the orders of Maulana Fazlullah, officials said.