Lankan cricket team attack: 24 'suspects' held

Pakistani investigative agencies picked up around 24 suspects in connection with the brazen terror assault on the Sri Lankan cricket team here but made little headway on Wednesday in zeroing in on the dozen terrorists who fled after injuring seven players and killing eight people.

The suspects were detained during raids by a special investigation team on hostels and guest houses in Lahore's Gulberg area, located near Liberty Chowk traffic roundabout where the Sri Lankan team's bus was attacked yesterday.

However, no 'prime suspects' are believed to be among those taken into custody, TV channels reported quoting sources. Some among those held are believed to be Afghan nationals aged between 20 and 30 years.

Investigators found some bloodstained clothes at a hostel in Gulberg while weapons and explosives were seized from 14 locations across Lahore, the reports said.

The government of Punjab province has offered a reward of Rs one crore for information leading to the arrest of terrorists responsible for the attack and their accomplices.
u00a0
President Asif Ali Zardari told visiting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohita Bogollagama that the attack was a serious setback that had undermined cricket in Pakistan.

The attack underlined the fact that terrorism is not confined to any country and is a global problem, which needs to be rooted out through cooperative international efforts, he said during his meeting with Bogollagama, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Special Envoy.

As a fallout of yesterday's attack, New Zealand cancelled its cricket tour of Pakistan, scheduled in November.

"We're not going and I think that's pretty clear. I don't think any international team will be going to Pakistan in the foreseeable future," its Cricket Chief Executive Justine Vaughan told Radio New Zealand.

Punjab Governor Salman Taseer said that some clues about the attack had been found though it was too early to say who was responsible for it. He said strict action would be taken against officials responsible for any security lapse detected during the probe.

Taseer said a thorough investigation would be conducted to gather evidence instead of making accusations about "any hidden or foreign hand" being behind the terrorist strike.

The attack was carried out by trained terrorists and preparations for it were not completed in a few days, he said.