LUCKNOW, July 15: Five gunmen who attacked a disputed religious site in Ayodhya last week were militants who came from Pakistan, Indian police said on Friday, adding that two gun-runners linked to the assault have been arrested in occupied Kashmir.

A police official said the five were all members of the Lashkar-i-Taiba, which India blames for an attack on its parliament in Dec 2001 and on a temple in Gujarat in 2002.

The militants were gunned down by Indian troops when they blasted their way into a heavily-guarded religious complex in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya on July 5. A sixth person who has not been identified was also killed.

The Press Trust of India news agency, also quoting unidentified police sources, said the rebels spoke Sindhi or Balochi.—AFP