LAHORE, Feb 8: Police claimed on Monday to have arrested six suspected terrorists, including a would-be suicide bomber, and seized 26 hand-grenades, a suicide jacket and five detonators.

Officials of a secret agency and a police team headed by a DSP of the Anti-Terrorism Squad of Crimes Investigation Agency captured the ringleader of the group, Abdul Baseer alias Qari Waqas, and Mohiuddin alias Saifullah, Abdul Rehman Ghani, Sakhi Shah, Tehsil Khan and Dilawar Saeed from a place near Shahdara Chowk on the GT Road. Police also recovered explosives, a car and a motorcycle.

During interrogation, the suspects revealed that they had planned to target Americans staying in a five-star hotel on The Mall.

SSP (Investigation) Zulfikar Hameed said at a press conference that the suspects belonged to the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.

He said Qari Baseer, who was a prayer leader in a mosque in Jamrud, Khyber Agency, was associated with an Afghan militant group led by Commander Nazir. He took part in the war against Nato forces in Afghanistan and was an expert in manufacturing suicide jackets and explosives, he added.

The SSP said Baseer had indoctrinated 14-year old Mohiuddin, who was studying the Quran in his mosque, and prepared him to carry out a suicide attack on the Americans staying in a Lahore hotel.

Mohiuddin, who had come to Peshawar seven months ago in search of a job, told newsmen he was not aware of the purpose of his visit to Lahore. “Baseer had asked me that he would arrange a job for me. I was then taken to Lahore,” he said.

The boy said that Commander Nazir had managed to transport explosives to Lahore with the help of drug peddlers Mir Mat and Sakhi Shah of Green Town.

AFP adds:

“Their target was Lahore’s Pearl Continental Hotel where some Americans were staying,” Mr Hameed said.

“They wanted large-scale death and devastation,” he added.