Pakistan arrests head of al-Qaida linked militant group
Pakistani security officials said today they foiled new terror attacks with the arrest of the head of an al-Qaida linked extremist group accused of killing scores of minority Shiite Muslims.
“Of course, he was planning attacks, and his arrest means we broke their backbone,” a security official said of reputed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi chief Asif Chotto, who was captured this week with seven suspected members of the banned group in Rawalpindi city near the capital, Islamabad.
Police have said they believe Chotto trained people to be suicide bombers - including two sisters arrested in June – and masterminded major attacks against Shiites in recent years.
Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao has neither confirmed nor denied the arrest.
But the unnamed security official said Chotto was caught last weekend, then led security officials to a home in Rawalpindi where a man identified as Rashid, also known as Shahid Satti, was arrested for possible involvement in anti-Shiite attacks.
He said security officials – acting on Chotto’s information – have seized explosives, hand grenades and two special belts which were to be used for suicide attacks in Rawalpindi and the eastern city of Lahore.
Two would-be suicide bombers were also captured this week in Rawalpindi, he said, adding that Chotto had prepared “a hit list” of men to be targeted for death.
Another official, who also didn’t want to be named, said counter-terrorism experts were questioning Chotto to glean information about his alleged al-Qaida links.
