Pakistani officials announced the arrest of 97 al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants Friday after breaking up what they said was a plot to free journalist Daniel Pearl’s killer from the Hyderabad Central Jail.
Khalid Omar Sheikh, who kidnapped and killed the Wall Street Journal reporter nearly 15 years ago, would have been able to escape with about 100 others if the terrorists had succeeded.
Military spokesman Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa told reporters, “This plan was 90 percent ready for execution.”
Various members of the arrested group are accused of involvement in attacks on the Karachi airport, intelligence headquarters, police installations, and Pakistani air bases. Bajwa added, “Our conclusion is that all of the terrorist groups are trying to cooperate with each other in order to carry out terrorist attacks.”
Bajwa would not provide any details about the raids and arrests, including when they took place. Read more here.
{Andy Heller-Matzav.com}
