| Pakistani authorities have arrested ten people, including Afghans, for suspected links with al Qaeda and their Taliban allies, officials said on Wednesday. The suspects were arrested in Rawalpindi on Monday, but the interior ministry said the arrests were not related to Sunday’s bid to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf in the same city, which lies close to the capital Islamabad. Pakistan’s military ruler narrowly escaped an attack when a series of explosions ripped apart a bridge in Rawalpindi just after his motorcade passed by. "These arrests are not related to this incident. These are related to al Qaeda and Taliban," said Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema, a senior interior ministry official. He said some weapons were recovered from the detainees, but did not say how many Afghans were among those arrested. Pakistani intelligence officials say they had no firm leads, but suspected the al Qaeda network may be behind the weekend bid to kill Musharraf. Pakistani authorities are questioning seven security personnel, including four policemen detailed to check the bridge. |