ISLAMABAD, Jan 3: Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Tuesday said that law-enforcement agencies personnel had arrested ‘terrorists’ involved in the last year’s suicide bomb blast near the Bari Imam shrine.

Thirteen people were killed and over 60 others injured in the explosion on May 27, 2005.

Talking to reporters after distributing compensation cheques to the blast victims and heirs of the deceased, the minister said he could not disclose the identity of the accused at this stage.

He said authorities were interrogating the accused to find out whether they had links with some terrorist network or were involved in any other such incident.

Mr Sherpao observed that the cases of sectarian terrorism had dropped by 30 per cent in 2005. “The government is making efforts to eliminate sectarian terrorism from society,” he said.

Earlier, the minister distributed cheques for Rs100,000 among heirs of each deceased and Rs30,000 to each injured. A total of 13 cheques for Rs100,000 and 42 cheques for Rs30,000 were distributed.

Minister of state for interior Dr Shahzad Waseem and officials were present on the occasion.