Two Britons held for bomb plot
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-08-11 20:38
The Bank of England, Britain's central bank, said Friday it had frozen the
accounts of 19 of 24 men arrested in Britain on Thursday over the allegations,
and publicly released their names.
Separately ABC News quoting Pakistani officials identified the ringleader of
the bomb plot as Matiur Rehman, said to be a 29-year-old Al-Qaeda commander
accused of involvement in plots to kill President Pervez Musharraf.
He was said to be missing along with five others, ABC said, adding that
Rehman was known to be planning a "terror spectacular" to mark the fifth
anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the United States.
Al-Qaeda has already been fingered as a possible culprit behind the plot.
Pakistan has arrested dozens of Al-Qaeda militants, including the capture three
years ago of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of 9/11.
But Musharraf has faced international criticism for failing to crack down on
militancy, despite surviving three assassination attempts by extremists linked
to Al-Qaeda.
Pakistan came under pressure after the July 7, 2005 suicide attacks on the
London transport system when it emerged that some of the British-born bombers
had attended Islamic religious schools, or madrassas, here.
However, Britain's Reid thanked Pakistan for its help in uncovering the
airliner plot.
"We are very grateful for all the help and cooperation we have received from
our international partners, including Pakistan, and I would like to thank them
for the assistance they have given us," he told a news conference in
London.
|
