Seminary leader among 5 arrested for links to Karachi naval attack

Pakistani intelligence operatives today claimed to have arrested five people, including a prayer leader of a seminary at Faisalabad, today for alleged links to the terrorist attack on a naval airbase in Karachi that killed 10 security personnel.

The operatives of intelligence agencies raided the Deobandi madrassa at Siana Chak village in Faisalabad district of Punjab province and nabbed Qari Qaisar, the prayer leader, sources told PTI.

The arrest was made on the basis of information linking Qaisar to the terrorists who stormed PNS Mehran, the Pakistan Navy's main air station in Karachi, on Sunday.

Qaisar, who is linked to a banned organisation, was taken to an undisclosed location for interrogation, sources said.

According to Express 24/7 news channel four other suspects were arrested from Karachi.

The channel said that Qari Qaiser, 30, was living in the Satiana area of Faisalabad and originally hailed from Dera Ghazi Khan where he was reported to be running a madrassah.

Qaiser, it said, was traced with the help of a cell-phone that was being used by terrorists.

The other four suspects were nabbed from various areas in Karachi. One of the suspects arrested is said to have an alias called Hamza. They have been taken to an unknown location for questioning.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on PNS Mehran, saying it was a revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden. 10 security personnel were killed and two maritime surveillance aircraft during the brazen attack.

Four of the attackers were killed or blew themselves up while two more reportedly escaped.