LAHORE, July 21: Police on Thursday picked up 27 members of banned groups in the NWFP and 15 in Punjab, including one who had attempted a suicide bombing and masterminded attacks on two imambargahs. “We have rounded up the suicide bomber, Mohammad Imran alias Bobi, 30, a member of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, in a raid during the crackdown,” Superintendent of Police Masood Aziz told Dawn.

The official said the accused was in a two-man team of the outlawed group, which carried out an attack on an imambargah inside the walled city in October last year, which was foiled by two security guards. The guards, a passer-by boy and one of the suicide bombers were killed, while the accused escaped, the SP quoted him as saying.

The accused was also the mastermind behind a suicide attack on an imambargah in Sialkot last year, which had claimed over 30 lives, he said.

Two other members of outlawed groups were arrested in Lahore, four in Sahiwal, two in Sheikhupura, two in Okara and the rest in other parts of the province.

They belonged to the outlawed Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Jaish-i-Mohammad, Lashkar-i-Taiba and Hizbul Tehrir.

Police also raided some seminaries, sealed at least two offices of the banned groups and registered five cases of misuse of loudspeakers in mosques.

Our Peshawar Correspondent adds: Police in the NWFP arrested on Thursday 27 local leaders and activists of banned militant organizations, sources told Dawn.

Categorization of those arrested was discussed at a meeting at the Central Police Office.

According to the sources, national and provincial leaders of banned groups would be under category ‘A’, district office-bearers under category ‘B’ and local activists under category ‘C’.

The arrested people had been under surveillance for the past year, an official said.

According to an order of the home department, the arrested people could be detained for one year to maintain public order in the province, he added.

The sources said provincial police chief Riffat Pasha had formed a committee to prepare profiles of the arrested people so that those found innocent could be freed.

The special branch of police, in a report, had expressed reservation over arrest of some innocent people, they said, adding that some of those arrested had stopped their activities since the change in the government policy after the 9/11 attacks.