SUKKUR, Feb 17: Three suspected suicide bombers have been arrested near Ayub Gate here, police said on Saturday.

DPO Sukkur Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh told a press conference that the suspects were planning attacks in Balochistan in the first week of next month.

Two of the suspects – Mohammed Ali alias Ali Soomro, a resident of Jacobabad, and Mohammed Abdullah alias Irfan, a resident of Karachi – were arrested late on Friday night near Railway Quarters, Ayub Gate, he said, adding that a bag containing a hand-grenade, a pistol, a jacket, four detonators and other things to be used in a suicide attack was recovered from their possession.

The DPO said that during interrogation, the suspects said their two accomplices were also due in Sukkur by train. He said police started surveillance of the Sukkur railway station; and as a train arrived, they took into custody a passenger, Naseer Ahmed Raeesani alias Saeen Dino Raeesani alias Sajid of Machh area of Balochistan. However, his other accomplice escaped.

Belonging to the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group, the accused had killed eight members of the Tehrik-i-Jafria during the last 18 months, the DPO quoted accused Abdullah alias Irfan as saying.

Those killed included five from Quetta, two from Karachi and one from Dera Murad Jamali. They included Prof Tahir Abbas, schoolteacher Abbas Ali, Jafri, a hotel owner and another person (Quetta); Pervez Ali and an officer of Al Falah Bank (Karachi); and Zakir Badaruddin (Dera Murad Jamali).

Police said the accused had planned terrorist attacks on an Aashura procession but failed due to strict security measures. They were now planning attacks on a Chehlum procession.— Agencies