RAWALPINDI, June 17: The Federal Investigation (FIA) here on Tuesday obtained a seven-day physical custody of nine suspected terrorists from an anti-terrorism court, saying it wanted more information from them to make more arrests.

The accused - Muhammad Zameer alias Noor Dad, Touqir Ahmed alias Takian and Muhammad Sajjad alias Mangu, Abid Khan, Muhammad Ishaq, Muhammad Kabir, Qamaruz Zaman, Zafar Ali and Intikhab Ahmed Abbasi - were arrested by the security agencies at Dhoke Kala Khan in the Sadiqabad police area on June 1 and according to the agencies, three vehicles laden with more than 1,000kg explosives were recovered from them.

An assistant director of special investigation group of the FIA told the court that the investigators had recovered more explosive materials on the information of the arrested and that further recovery was expected. More arrests could also be made on the information of the accused, he added.

The official in his written submission said: “The arrested suspects belonged to a well-organised terrorist outfit”.

The accused were booked under sections 4 and 5 of Explosive Act, 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act with Sadiqabad police station on June 2.

Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman A Malik has claimed that the three of the arrested were suicide bombers and that they could target sensitive places in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Meanwhile, ATC-I Judge Chaudhry Habibur Rehman handed over a car to the wife of deceased cleric of Lal Masjid Abdul Rasheed Ghazi against the surety bond worth Rs100,000.

The car owned by Mr Ghazi was seized by the Waris Khan Police near Rawalpindi General Hospital in 2005. The police had claimed to have recovered four rockets and four fuses of rocket missiles.

In her petition, Ms Ghazi stated that a man - Farhat Usman - borrowed the vehicle from her husband but did not return it and that a complaint in this regard was registered with the Aabpara police.

Mr Ghazi got the car on surety from the court in 2006 but did not take it into his possession and his wife had to file another petition for the custody of the car.

In another case, ATC-I directed the SHO Pirwadhai and the investigation officer to appear in the court and explain as to why a report about the arrest of one of the accused in a kidnapping for ransom case was not filed in the court.

The court had sought the report about the arrest of Yaqoob Khan who is allegedly involved along with Misal Khan and Ahsanullah, Haji Nawab and Khan Nawab in the kidnapping of five-year-old Muhammad Umer. The police officials failed to submit the document in the court.