KARACHI, Feb 17: Judicial Magistrate East Ggnhwar Khan Gadehi on Saturday remanded three Al Qaeda suspects, charged with planning a suicide attack, in police custody till February 24.

The accused – Mohammed Shahid alias Kashif, Mohammed Farhan alias Nasir and Ghani Subhan alias Rashid – had been arrested from Gulistan-i-Jauhar on Friday after an encounter with police.

They were possessing a Kalashnikov, two TT pistols, three hand-grenades and a suicide bombing jacket.

According to police, the three accused are members of some Qari Zafar group, affiliated with the Al Qaeda network, and have received training in South Waziristan.

Initial investigations revealed that they were planning a suicide attack on the forthcoming Chehlum procession in Karachi, said police, adding that they had also planned suicide attacks during the Ideas 2006 exhibition and on the Ashura procession in Karachi, but could not do so due to tight security measures.

The police said the accused also disclosed that their six accomplices – Tariq, Faisal, Ijaz, Naveed, Umer and Javed – were operating in different areas of Karachi.

Police had requested the court for the custody of the accused till 29, claiming that they also wanted to target religious leaders.

The court, however, fixed Feb 24 for next hearing.