Seven al-Qaida suspects arested

Pakistani agents have arrested seven al-Qaida suspects and confiscated some weaponry in a raid in the southern city of Karachi, an intelligence officer said.

Intelligence officers conducted the raid in an eastern district of Karachi, arresting five men and two women, said the officer, who requested anonymity.

He had no details about their nationalities or alleged rank in the terror network.

Five hand grenades, four handguns, ammunition and maps of Afghanistan and Pakistan were seized, he said.

Sindh provincial police chief Syed Kamal Shah confirmed there had been some arrests early today, but did not know how many or of whom.

City police chief Asad Ashraf Malik said he did not know about the arrests, saying they were not done through the police.

Pakistan is a key ally of the United States in its war against terrorism and has arrested more than 500 al-Qaida suspects over the past two years and many have been handed over to American authorities.