Hundreds arrested in Pakistan after bombing

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published Friday, May 10, 2002

KARACHI, Pakistan -- In a sweep against Islamic militants Thursday, Pakistani authorities rounded up nearly 300 suspects while U.S. and French investigators searched for links between al-Qaida members and a suicide bombing that killed 14 people, including 11 French engineers.

French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie went to the site of Wednesday's blast and then visited a dozen French citizens wounded in the attack.

President Pervez Musharraf has called the bombing an attempt to destabilize Pakistan and "weaken its resolve."

Alliot-Marie praised Musharraf for his "brave choice" in joining the U.S.-led war on terrorism. She said the attack on the Frenchmen, who were in Pakistan to build a submarine, had only strengthened French resolve.

"We have to fight terrorism until it's eliminated," she said.

Before the Sept. 11 attacks, Musharraf and Pakistan had deep ties to the Taliban, but -- under U.S. pressure -- switched sides. Musharraf later banned five militant Islamic groups, some of which had close ties to al-Qaida and the Taliban.

No group claimed responsibility for Wednesday's bombing, the third deadly attack this year on foreigners in Pakistan.

The exploded car was purchased 17 hours before the incident by three men who appeared to be Pakistanis, police officials said Thursday.

The buyers spoke Urdu and Punjabi, languages native to Pakistan, and were so eager to take away the red 1974 Toyota Corolla on Tuesday afternoon that they gave it a push start rather than wait a day for a new battery to be installed, the salesman told investigators.

They also overpaid. The stack of 100,000 rupees (equal to about $1,666) that the men handed over was a third again what Majeed Motors expected for the 27-year-old sedan.

The men promised even more, vowing to return with an additional 6,000 rupees, or $100, but investigators believe that was a ruse to avoid providing the identification necessary to complete a legal transaction.

Information Minister Nisar Memon insisted Pakistan would not be deterred by the bombing and had taken "more measures to combat terrorism."

Interior Ministry officials said at least 298 suspected members of Jaish-e-Mohammed, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and other groups were arrested in the crackdown, which was expected to last several more days.

With Pakistani security forces on maximum alert, paramilitary rangers set up posts and concrete barriers at major hotels and places frequented by Westerners. The streets around the U.S. Consulate and the British Deputy High Commission in Karachi were closed, creating huge traffic jams in the city of 14 million.

Lonnie Kelley, a U.S. Consulate spokesman, said Westerners in Karachi were "extremely nervous."

The Olympian Copyright 2002

back to Terror in America index