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Security
officials escort a gunman after a shootout in the southern port
city of Karachi, September 11, 2002
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By
Asif Farooqi, IOL Pakistan correspondent
ISLAMABAD,
September 11 (IslamOnline) - Pakistani police averted a possible
terror attack in Pakistan against the western targets to mark the
first anniversary of September 11, when they arrested five militants,
and killed two in a three-hour gun battle in the southern port city of
Karachi Wednesday morning, September 11.
Pakistani
police said they raided a residential block in a posh Karachi locality
where some militants were believed to be hiding. A shootout, according
to the provincial police chief Syed Kamal Shah, resulted in “deaths
and arrest” of the militants.
Police
chief refused to identify the arrested suspects but a senior security
official in Karachi told IslamOnline that the deadly encounter “had
averted a major terrorist attack in Karachi.”
According
to the official, the arrested militants had gathered in the Karachi
apartment to execute a major terror attack in Karachi on Wednesday 11
to mark the first anniversary of the attack in the United States.
He
gave no details on the possible target of this attack but said two of
the arrested terror suspects were Arabs and were linked to Al-Qaeda
network of Osama bin Laden.
Police
in Karachi was on an unusual land and aerial patrols since early
Wednesday morning to head off possible attacks on the first
anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States which
Washington has blamed on al Qaeda.
Security
and intelligence agents had raided a three-story building in an
upmarket district of Karachi on Wednesday morning and initially
arrested two men, but had to call in police support after other people
in the building threw a hand grenade at them.
Witnesses
said police had fired teargas and thousands of rounds at the building
before the gunmen, armed with Kalashnikovs, grenades and submachine
guns, finally surrendered.
One
of the men shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) as he was led
away under arrest, while another was speaking Arabic, witnesses said.
The Muslim declaration of faith, was written in blood on the wall of
the apartment’s kitchen, a police official claimed.
At
least 2,000 policemen have been deployed around diplomatic missions
and residences, luxury hotels and offices of foreign companies in
Karachi, where three attacks on Western targets in recent months have
killed dozens of people.
In
the capital Islamabad, diplomats were taking few chances. Both the
American and British embassies were closed to the public as a
precaution, although officials said they were not aware of any
specific threats.
Police
said they had recovered three grenades in Islamabad on Tuesday,
September 10, that could possibly have been used for attacks on
September 11.
