19 Detained for Pakistani Mosque Massacre

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, July 07, 2003

19 Detained for Pakistani Mosque Massacre

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Pakistan has detained 19 suspects in connection with an attack on a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Quetta that killed at least 53 people in the worst sectarian violence in the country for years, police said Sunday.

Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali said investigators had found evidence of outside involvement in the suicide attack, an apparent reference either to the Taliban and al-Qaida in neighbouring Afghanistan or to Indian intelligence.

"Right now all the clues we have are leading us towards involvement of foreign hands," Jamali told state-run television.

"We cannot disregard the involvement of foreign elements. In two to four days, we will have reports and then we will be in a better position to say who is involved."

Humayun Jogezai, deputy police chief in Baluchistan province of which Quetta is the capital, said police rounded up members of outlawed radical Sunni Muslim groups in overnight raids.

A night-time curfew remains in place in the southwestern city near the Afghan border, as tensions between Shi'ites and majority Sunni Muslims remain high.

"The detained people are nowpart of our investigations, but we are looking into all other aspects, including involvement of foreign hands," Humayun said.

Jogezai said investigators were analyzing material found on the bodies of the three attackers and trying to ascertain their nationalities.

"Their bodies are with us and nobody has yet claimed them. Their identification will help us in the investigation."

The three men had wheeled a trolley up to the gate of the mosque during Friday prayers before pulling guns from under a cover and opening fire on worshippers, police said.

All three had grenades strapped to their waists, and two managed to blow themselves up. A third, who did not, died of wounds sustained when guards opened fire.

A senior official, who asked not to be identified, said the investigators had found clues that suggest "involvement of foreign hands behind the attack" in the Quetta bombing.

"The paramilitary forces have detained seven Afghan nationals in Chaman on Saturday evening," he said, referring to a Pakistani town on the border with Afghanistan.

"It is too early to say whether those detained have any links with the attack or not."

Political commentators suggested the mosque bombing might be linked to neighbouring Afghanistan, because Quetta is so close to the border.

"The possibility of any across-the-border involvement cannot be ruled out," Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told reporters on Saturday.

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