Thursday, December 25, 2008

Huge Explosives Stash Seized in Pakistan Capital

Via ABC News -

Pakistani police say they have seized a huge quantity of explosives and arrested eight people in raids at three shops on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad.

The haul included 500 kilograms of explosives, more than 500 detonators, empty bullet cartridges and sacks of chemicals, Islamabad police chief Asghar Gardezi said.

Police conducted the raids late on Wednesday on intelligence information about the storage of explosives in the shops owned by two brothers from the tribal Dir district bordering Afghanistan.

"It is a very important breakthrough. The recovery suggests the explosives might have been meant for terror attacks, but we are investigating," Mr Gardezi said.

In September, a suicide bomber rammed a truck packed with explosives into the outer gates of the luxury Marriott hotel in Islamabad, killing 60 people.

Pakistan this year has seen a spike in violence blamed on Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants, prompting the army to launch a major operation in the volatile northwest of the country.

No comments:

Post a Comment