March 29, 2002	Friday	Muharram 14, 1423

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FAISALABAD/LAHORE, March 28: Two alleged members of Al Qaeda were killed and six others, including two policemen, were injured during a crackdown jointly conducted by the personnel of American FBI and local police in Faisalabad in the early hours of Thursday. Raids were also conducted in Lahore during which four people were arrested.

Sources said on a tip-off that some Al Qaeda members were hiding in Faisalabad, a joint team of FBI and personnel of law enforcement agencies raided six spots in the city and arrested 46 people, including 19 foreigners.

Initially, the arrested persons were shifted to People’s Colony police station and local police lines where they were interrogated after which four of them were released.

The remaining persons were later shifted to the CIA centre at Chhung in Lahore for further interrogation.

Sources said that the arrested persons were shifted from the CIA centre to an unknown place in army trucks at around 10.30pm.

Sixteen Arab nationals were arrested during a raid on the house of Shahbaz Ahmed in Faisal Town in Faisalabad at around 2am.

The sources said the Arab nationals tried to resist at the time of arrest and injured a constable Mubashir with a knife. In retaliation, the raiding team opened fire and killed Abdul Hasnat, who reportedly belonged to Syria. The shooting also left four others seriously injured. One of them, whose identity could not be confirmed, died after reaching Allied Hospital. Rest of the three injured were also stated to be foreigners. One of them was identified as Dawood, an Arab.

In the light of information gathered from those arrested, police and FBI teams raided five more places in the city and picked up 45 people, including about a dozen foreigners.

During a raid on the house of Prof Akram Niazi in Muslim Town, the raiding team arrested Akram Niazi, his sons Zia Niazi, Rizwan Niazi and his brother Sheraz Niazi. The arrested persons were later shifted to local police lines from where they were reportedly shifted to an unknown place. Police also confiscated various documents from the house.

In another raid on a cyber cafe in Mansoorabad, the team arrested owner of the cafe and seized discs and a computer. The team also searched an under-construction house adjacent to the cyber cafe but no arrests were made from there.

Special team also raided an abandoned house in block X of Madina Town. Police reportedly took away some documents, photos and files by breaking open the locks of almirahs.

Three people were arrested during a raid on a house i