October 21, 2007	Sunday	Shawwal 8, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Oct 20: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday sent three men, including a government official, suspected of planting a bomb outside an army mess, to Adiala Jail on judicial remand for 14 days.

Police did not seek more physical remand of Sajjad Haider, a officer in the Federal Board of Revenue, and the two others.

They were alleged to have planted a bomb outside an army officers’ mess, adjacent to a five-star hotel on the Peshawar Road, on Sept 4.

The two early morning bomb blasts killed 25 people, including some armymen. ATC 2 Judge Sakhi Mohammad Kahot had sent them to jail till November 3.

Policemen in civvies noted some suspects in a Land Cruiser who had placed a black handbag outside the mess and drove away.

The investigation showed that the jeep was tempered and the number on it was fictitious.

The bag had explosives weighing around six pounds with detonator/fuses and photo copies of two national identity cards.

The copies NIC were of a man and his son, resident of Attock. They denied any involvement in the bomb blasts and told the investigators that they were poor labourers.

They also said that they were tenants of Sajjad Haider, a native of Makhad Sharif Jand, Attock.

Police had on Sept 30 arrested Haider, his servant and his friend along with the three suspects and obtained their physical remand.

They were charged with terrorism, possession of explosive materials and criminal conspiracy.

Meanwhile, the ATC 2 judge adjourned till November 2 hearing in the case of suicide

attack on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Maluvi Mohammad Imtiaz and Mohammad Usman had been arrested for their alleged role in the suicide attack on Shaukat Aziz when he had on July 30, 2004, visited Attock for election campaign.

Eight others — Abdul Manan, Nisar Ahmed, Abdul Basit, Qari Ahmed Khan, Noor Badshah, Maulvi Sadiq, Mohammad Usman Zohair and Qari Salman — were also arrested.

An ATC judge had on May 22, 2006, awarded death sentence to four, life imprisonment to three and acquitted one.