SARGODHA, Jan 15: The police have foiled a bid of suicide attacks at the residences of regional police officer (RPO) and district police officer (DPO) on University Road beside attacks on the life of religious leaders and politicians on Monday night and arrested six potential suicide bombers.

Talking to reporters, RPO Hamid Mukhtar Gondal and DPO Waseem Ahmad Sial on Tuesday afternoon said that five suicide bombers riding on motorbikes were on their way to attack their residences when police arrested them.

Later, the suspects led the police to seize 30 kilogrammes of explosives with detonators, pressure cooker bombs, promo cards, batteries with circuits, wireless remote control panels, gas cylinder bombs and motorbikes and other lethal weapons.

The potential terrorists were later identified as Umer Farooq, alias Hasnain Muawiya, Muhammad Ibrar, Sikandar, Muhammad Asghar and Khalid Usmani, who are all residents of the Sargodha district. They had been imparted suicide attack’s training besides manufacturing suicide jacket in a few minutes to kill scores of people.

The RPO said that on a tip-off given by Rawalpindi police, the Sargodha police arrested sixth suspect Abdul Ghafoor of Talagang, who had conspired carrying out suicide attacks on the former Punjab chief minister, Pervaiz Elahi, and Chakwal’s district nazim.

He added that Ghafoor was also assigned the task of transporting heavy quantity of explosives used in such attacks.

He said that after suicide attack on a bus carrying PAF personnel, the Sargodha police went to Mohallah Haqnawaz Jhangvi, Trinda Muhammad Panah locality in Jhang district and recovered original identity card of Muhammad Abid, son of Ali Ahmad, who had targeted the PAF bus and this recovery led the police to smash the terrorists’ gang.

The RPO said the gang was having a strong and well-knitted network specially constituted to assassinate political as well as religious dignitaries.

He said that the arrested men had admitted to having carried out suicide attack on the PAF bus and Sargodha Police Lines.

He said the perpetrators were planning creating massive disorder in Ashura processions during Muharram.

He said that Umer Farooq, alias Hasnain Muawiya, and Muhammad Asghar Qari were masterminds of the ten-member gang and the police had arrested five of them while the rest would be spotted soon.

The DPO told Dawn that the Sargodha police have shattered the network of terrorists and it would help control suicide attacks and maintain peace and tranquillity.

However, he said the police could overcome such perpetrators only with the help and cooperation of civil society.