HYDERABAD, Feb 16: Police on Saturday claimed to have arrested three alleged members of a potential suicide squad who were planning to target a number of religious and political leaders in the city and the province during elections.

DPO Imran Shaukat produced an accused with his face covered before the media at a news conference at his office and said police had found a huge cache of explosives and weapons in his possession.

Police nabbed Mohammad Islam, alias Mujahid Islam alias Rajput, from a hotel in the jurisdiction of Makki Shah police station and found in the room 14 kilogram of explosives, a rifle of .44 bore, two magazines, 61 bullets of 0.44, 30 bore pistol, 12 magazines, 72 bullets of 30 bore, two empties of 30 bore, two cell-pones, an artificial pistol, a rifle butt, a silencer, a big blue coloured bag, religious magazines and stickers, booklets of banned militant outfit Tanzeem Al-Jihad, a belt, two fake driving licenses and 14 fake arm licenses, he said.

Mr Shaukat said that the accused belonged to Tando Adam and was not a suicide bomber. He was a facilitator and his initial disclosures revealed that the gang had planned to target a number of religious and political leaders in the province during elections, the DPO said adding that the gang had links with suicide bombers from north-western part of the country.

Sources have confirmed arrest of two more suspects and added that their arrest has not been confirmed officially because police are still interrogating them.