Attack on Islamabad buildings averted: Report

A group of terrorists planned to target several buildings in Islamabad`s heavily guarded Red Zone, including Parliament, Presidency, Prime Minister`s Secretariat and the diplomatic enclave, as well as the ISI`s headquarters.

Following simultaneous missile and rocket attacks on these buildings, the terrorists planned to use suicide bombers and snipers for a commando-style attack to storm Parliament and take lawmakers hostage, `The News` daily quoted an investigation report as saying. The terrorists had planned to fire a barrage of missiles, rockets and mortars from Bani Gala, a forested area located a few kilometres from the Red Zone.

The plot was uncovered after police raided a house in Chatta Bakhtawar on the outskirts of Islamabad last Saturday and seized a cache of rockets, artillery shells, grenades, assault rifles and ammunition. Five of the 14 terrorists involved in the plot have been arrested, the report said. The investigation report prepared by Islamabad Police has been submitted to the President, Prime Minister and Interior Minister.

The newspaper report came a day after Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed authorities had foiled a major terrorist plot to target a high-security zone here, as police seized two vehicles carrying caches of arms and explosives.

Malik said the plot was uncovered after police seized a large quantity of weapons during a raid on a home in Chatta Bakhtawar suburb of Islamabad over the weekend.