SKOPJE, March 2: Macedonian police said they shot seven people dead on Saturday, including some Pakistan nationals, who were suspected of planning terror attacks in the capital Skopje.

They said the incident was linked to the previously unannounced arrest late last month of two Jordanians and two Bosnians who were planning attacks on the US, British and German embassies in Skopje.

All seven of the attackers, who were carrying hand grenades and rocket-launchers, were shot dead after ambushing a police patrol in Rastanski Lozja, the police said.

A high-ranking police official said it appeared the men had been “preparing terrorist attacks against several key buildings in Skopje, including embassies”. Some of the attackers were Pakistani citizens, they said, adding that they appeared to be linked to the four arrested last month, all of whom did their studies in Jordan.

The police revealed that, after those arrests, a compact disc was seized containing what they said was “10,000 pages of documents on various operations in the region, already or to be carried out”.

“These attacks were aimed primarily at top officials and embassies in Skopje, in particular the embassies of the United States, Britain and Germany,” said a police official.—AFP