KARACHI, Jan 19: Police on Saturday arrested five suspected terrorists who planned to mix cyanide with the water distributed at Sabeels (kiosks) during Ashura processions.

The Sindh police chief, Azhar Ali Farooqi, told a press conference that the arrests, made in different parts of the city, had averted a big disaster. “But the threat of suicide attacks is still there,” he added.

The suspects were also making plans to carry out suicide attacks on the processions.

He said three hand-grenades, six kilograms of explosives, six detonators, 500 grams of cyanide, a remote-control generator, a frequency generator, two kilograms of ball-bearings, one kilogram of nails and two TT pistols had been recovered from the suspects, one of whom was training to become a suicide bomber.

“They also planned to launch terrorist attacks on military installations in Karachi.”

The suspects were identified as Syed Mohammed Waseem, alias Imran, of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Karachi; Mohammed Aijaz, alias Abdul Rehman, of Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami, Bhambar, Azad Kashmir; Jamil Ahmed, alias Wazir Akbar, of Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami, Multan; would-be suicide bomber Aziz Ahmed, alias Mohammed Khan, of Jaish-i-Mohammed, Lodhran; and Mohammed Hamid, alias Qasim, of Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami.

The Inspector General of Sindh Police said Jamil had hired a house in North Karachi a few months ago. A few days before Eidul Azha he brought ammunition, explosives, hand-grenades and items used in explosive jacket from southern Punjab and stored them in the house.

He said gang leader Mohammed Aijaz reached Karachi on Jan 11 along with Mohammed Hamid and Aziz Ahmed.

Mr Farooqi said the suspects had also planned to mix cyanide with the water distributed at kiosks during Ashura.“They were arrested when they were leaving with the subversive material to carry out terrorist attacks,” he added.

The IGP said the terrorists had planned to launch grenade and suicide attacks on processions. “The aim was to cause widespread human losses.”

In reply to a question, he said the arrest came on a tip-off from informants.

He said Aijaz, who had taken part in the Afghan jihad, was also an instructor at terrorist training camps in South Waziristan and other parts of the country. “He is an expert in making bombs and suicide jackets and is a close confidant of Afghan Taliban leader Maulvi Sardar Haqqani of Jalaluddin Haqqani Group,” he said.