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Pak arrests three extremists suspected in church attack
Multan, Pakistan, July 23: Pakistani police today arrested three members of an outlawed Islamic extremist group suspected of involvement in scores of religiously motivated killings in Pakistan, a police official said.
Multan, Pakistan, July 23: Pakistani police today arrested
three members of an outlawed Islamic extremist group suspected
of involvement in scores of religiously motivated killings in
Pakistan, a police official said.
Three activists of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militant group
were taken into custody in the village of Mailse in southern
Punjab province, Chodhry Iftikhar, deputy inspector general of
the Multan police, told the associated press.
The three, aged 18 to 26, have all admitted involvement
in an October attack on a catholic church in the southern city
of Bahawalpur that killed 17, Iftikhar said.
Iftikhar said three of the eight militants involved in the church attack were still at large. One was killed in a shoot-out with police earlier this year, and another is already in custody. The four being held by police are also suspected of involvement in several religious killings of minority Shiite Muslims across the country.
Police said at least one of the four May also have been involved in last July's murder of former foreign minister Mohammed Siddque Kanju, who was shot dead along with another former legislator during an election campaign in Punjab. Police officials said interrogations were continuing and details of the four's involvement in killings would be released soon.
Bureau Report
Iftikhar said three of the eight militants involved in the church attack were still at large. One was killed in a shoot-out with police earlier this year, and another is already in custody. The four being held by police are also suspected of involvement in several religious killings of minority Shiite Muslims across the country.
Police said at least one of the four May also have been involved in last July's murder of former foreign minister Mohammed Siddque Kanju, who was shot dead along with another former legislator during an election campaign in Punjab. Police officials said interrogations were continuing and details of the four's involvement in killings would be released soon.
Bureau Report