ISLAMABAD: Law enforcement agencies have arrested six Al Qaeda-linked terror suspects who had plotted to blow up key sites including President's House, military headquarters, the US embassy and parliament, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid told a press conference on Saturday.
Sheikh Rashid said the attacks had been planned for earlier in August and Prime Minister's House, the office of the Punjab chief minister and the National Convention Centre were also on the hit list of the terrorists. Sheikh Rashid said the plot if successful could have killed hundreds of people. "These people were planning to carry out destructive and bloody terrorist attacks during a weeklong time starting from August 13," he said. He would not identify who the militants were, but said the police were looking for three or four more suspects in connection with the plot. The information minister said that the police also confiscated sophisticated rifles, rocket launchers, grenades and other explosives.
Sheikh Rashid said that the arrested men had identified two Egyptians Qari Ismail and Sheikh Essa as masterminds of the plot. He said the two Egyptians were still at large but said law enforcement agencies were closing in on them. The information minister said that the arrested men had links with Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, the in-charge of Jamia Faridia and Javed Ibrahim Piracha, former MNA, and that the police were trying to arrest them too. Sheikh Rashid said that Farooq Usman, who was arrested a few days ago, was found in possession of three cellphone connections and Ghazi Abdul Rasheed's vehicle. He said that militants had split into small groups to execute their plan.
Agencies add: Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat on Saturday told a private TV channel that "eight to 10" people had been arrested and the plot bore the hallmarks of Osama Bin Laden's Al Qaeda network. "We have obtained valuable information from the foreigners ... we have unearthed a big and sinister plan," he said.
"The most dangerous aspect was that their targets included army headquarters, the parliament building, Prime Minister's house and important people," he said. "This kind of terrorism can only be done by terrorist outfits like Al Qaeda."
Earlier Mr Hayat said the arrested men included locals and foreigners. The arrests were made around Independence Day amid tight security. Hayat named two of the Pakistanis arrested as Javed Ibrahim Piracha, whom he called the main local element of the conspiracy, and Farooq Usman. Some of the attacks were to be launched during the Independence Day celebrations while the others were planned for other days, Hayat said.
"We have arrested close to a dozen militants including some foreigners and have aborted their plot to create widespread mayhem in the country," he said.
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