MINGORA, Sept 29: Three suspects were arrested from different villages of Swat on Tuesday night by security agencies and taken away for interrogation. The local police declined to give details about the arrests.

It was, however, learnt that the security agencies accompanied by the local police raided the residences of Shafiqur Rehman, son of Haji Mohammad Zaman, Hidayatur Rehman, resident of Charbagh, and Sardarul Mulk, resident of Khwazakhela, and arrested them on suspicion of having links with Al Qaeda organization.

The raids were conducted as part of the crackdown on accomplices of Amjad Farooqui. The detained men are said to be supporters of the disbanded religious organization Jaish-i-Muhammad and Tanzim Nifaz-i-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM). The local police, however, said they had no proof of the involvement of these men in terrorist activities.