Posted on 08/10/2006 3:51:59 PM PDT by blam
Pakistan arrests over bomb plot
The arrest of militants in Pakistan is said to have provided a lead
Pakistan has made a number of arrests in connection with an alleged UK plot to blow up planes flying to the US. "There were some arrests in Pakistan which were co-ordinated with arrests in the UK," said Tasnim Aslam, spokeswoman for Pakistan's foreign ministry.
Pakistan had played a very important role in the investigation, she added.
UK police are questioning 24 people over the alleged plot, which is said to have involved smuggling liquid explosives onto planes in hand luggage.
Sources told the BBC the "principal characters" suspected of being involved in the plot were British-born, and some have links to Pakistan.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says the decision to arrest a large number of suspects in Britain was directly linked to similar arrests a few days ago in the Pakistani port city of Karachi.
The Associated Press news agency quoted an unnamed Pakistani official as saying "two or three local people" suspected in the plot were arrested in Karachi and Lahore.
AP also quoted an unnamed Pakistani intelligence official as saying said an Islamic militant arrested near the Afghan-Pakistan border several weeks ago helped in "unearthing the plot".
"The major work was done by the British agents, but they got a major clue from Pakistan," the official said.
Pakistan has been a key ally of the US in its "war on terror", although this has drawn widespread opposition at home.
Website of one of the suspects
http://www.rashidrauf.com/
"helped", heh heh...
This article suggests a lot larger plot than we are aware of presently.
I think we're going to be suprised in the weeks ahead.
"It's perfectly possible that there are some people connected to this who are more dangerous than our own security and intelligence services actually believe they are at the moment."
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