Police claimed on Monday to have arrested six suspected terrorists, including a would-be suicide bomber, and seized 26 hand-grenades, a suicide jacket and five detonators.

Officials of a secret agency and a police team headed by a DSP of the Anti-Terrorism Squad of Crimes Investigation Agency captured the ringleader of the group, Abdul Baseer alias Qari Waqas, and Mohiuddin alias Saifullah, Abdul Rehman Ghani, Sakhi Shah, Tehsil Khan and Dilawar Saeed from a place near Shahdara Chowk on the GT Road. Police also recovered explosives, a car and a motorcycle.

During interrogation, the suspects revealed that they had planned to target Americans staying in a five-star hotel on The Mall.

SSP (Investigation) Zulfikar Hameed said at a press conference that the suspects belonged to the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.

He said Qari Baseer, who was a prayer leader in a mosque in Jamrud, Khyber Agency, was associated with an Afghan militant group led by Commander Nazir. He took part in the war against Nato forces in Afghanistan and was an expert in manufacturing suicide jackets and explosives, he added.

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