SARGODHA, July 13: A bank guard and officials on Friday foiled a suicide bombing bid as they overpowered a youngster who entered the office carrying explosive material in a bag.

Reports said a youngster entered the United Bank Limited branch near Islampura overhead bridge and placed a bag on the table of the manager asking him to hand him over cash or face a suicide attack. As security guard Saleh Muhammad tried to overpower the intruder, a scuffle took place between them and both shot at and injured each other.

Many other bank officials overpowered the alleged criminal who, according to them, raised slogans that “such suicide attacks will be carried out in the length and breadth of Pakistan as President Musharraf has massacred the innocent people in Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa”.

A police team took the injured person into custody and took him to hospital for treatment. An anti-bomb disposal squad confirmed that the bag contained explosive material.

The law enforcers, later, shifted the suspect to some unknown place for he was not in the hospital when this correspondent visited it.

Eyewitnesses told this correspondent that the assailant was raising slogans, showing inclination towards fanaticism.

District Police Officer Sheikh Muhammad Umer told journalists that the arrested person, Naveed, a resident of Muqam-i-Hayat, was trained as a terrorist and adept in manufacturing of explosive device.

“He got training in Afghanistan and Kashmir and was motivated by Jehadi organisations and his father is an ex-employee of the Libyan Embassy”.

Naveed committed dacoities to form a group for exacting revenge from the government for assassination of Abdur Rasheed Ghazi, he said.

The DPO said Maulana Tiwana, who is facing trial on terrorism charges, had incited Naveed to arrange money so that a party of Jehadis could be formed.