ISLAMABAD, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani intelligence agencies and police in southern port city of Karachi have arrested six terrorists who were planning a major terrorist attack in the city, police said on Saturday.
A senior police officer told a news conference in Karachi that the terrorists belonged to the Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), an alliance of Baloch armed groups, were arrested on Friday in an intelligence-based operation.
"They (terrorists) were busy planning a major attack in Karachi. They had been involved in terrorist attacks on the check posts and convoys of the army, police and other law enforcement agencies in Balochistan province. They confessed involvement in terrorism in their statements during interrogation," Senior Superintendent of Police of district West of Karachi Fida Hussain Janwari said.
A rocket launcher, grenades, rifles, pistols, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from their possession, according to the police officer.
Janwari said the intelligence agencies and police were on high alert since a terrorist attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) building in Karachi last month, in order to break the network behind the attack. The proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), one of the armed organizations under the umbrella of BRAS, claimed the attack on the PSX building on social media.
The BLA had planned the attack on the PSX building, said Janwari, adding that the sleeping cells of the group operate in Karachi and its outskirts, which facilitate and guide the terrorists to their targets.
"This is a fact that the hostile intelligence agencies routinely plan terrorist attacks to destabilize the country. They use anti-state separatist and terrorist groups for attacks on the law enforcement agencies and key installations," the police officer said. Enditem
