By Farzana Shah-Asian Tribune Correspondent in Pakistan
Lahore, 14 May, (Asiantribune.com): Three men belonging to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the March 3 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team that claimed the lives of eight Pakistanis and injured six players.
A private Pakistani news channel quoting sources said the accused are members of banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and hail from Southern Punjab.
The sources said that two of the arrested persons were directly involved in armed attack on Sri Lankan players. While the third accused have provided logistic support to the attackers in the city.
According to sources, they had received training in a militant camp situated in Wana.
The sources further told that the planning to attack Sri Lankan team had started about two months before their scheduled visit to Pakistan.
The fresh arrests raise the number of suspects to seven who have been arrested in connection with attack on the Sri Lankan team. Four of them had been arrested on the day of the assault.
A group of gunmen carrying rocket launchers, hand grenades and armed with automatic weapons opened indiscriminate fire at the Sri Lankan cricket team on 3rd March, just about 500 yards as it headed for Lahore's Gaddafi stadium for playing on the third day of their second cricket test.
Six Pakistani policemen who were safeguarding the Sri Lankan team were killed while saving the players, while two bystanders also lost their lives as the terrorists kept on firing in the area for almost 25 minutes.
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi banned outfit had been involved in sectarian killings across Pakistan.
According to sources recently the group has been found involved in suicide bombing in collaboration with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Punjab and NWFP provinces.
The group is believed to be an ally of Baitullah Mehsud’s militants group.
Many quarters in Pakistan including intelligence agencies believe Baitullah Mehsud has active links with Indian intelligence agency RAW and had been receiving weapons and funding from it for carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan specially in NWFP.
- Asian Tribune -
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