Pakistan: Three held in relation to fatal car bombing

Pakistani authorities have arrested three men in connection with a May suicide bombing outside a hotel in the southern port city of Karachi that killed 14 people, including 11 French engineers, police said today.

The suspects – all Pakistanis and believed to be members of the banned Islamic extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi – were arrested yesterday, police said.

One of the men, identified as Maulana Mohammed Sadiq, was arrested at Karachi airport as he attempted to board a flight to London with a fake passport, they said.

After interrogating the man, police raided two apartments in the city, arresting Zahir Sheikh and a man identified only as Suhail, they said.

Sadiq apparently provided details of the attack during interrogation, and police recovered papers linked to the car used in the bombing, they said. They also seized weapons and ammunition during the apartment raids, police said.

Police have arrested several other people in connection with the attack, and have apprehended dozens of others alleged to have taken part in a spate of attacks on foreigners in the city.

Many of those arrested earlier are reportedly members of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen Al-Almi extremist group.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni group that has traditionally targeted Shiites, claimed responsibility for a series of parcel bombings in Karachi in October.

It has also been linked to a June bombing outside the US Consulate in Karachi that killed 12 Pakistanis, as well as attacks on several churches.

Police said they will produce the three suspects in court tomorrow.