9 suspected terrorists arrested in Pakistan's Punjab

Lahore: Pakistani security agencies on Monday claimed to have foiled a 'major terror plot' and arrested nine suspected terrorists of banned outfits including the Islamic State, Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan in the country's Punjab province.

In a statement, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police said that it conducted 70 intelligence-based operations in different districts of the province during the last week in which nine terrorists were arrested with weapons, explosives and other prohibited materials.

The arrested terrorists belong to the banned organisations Daesh (Islamic State), Al-Qaeda, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. They were arrested from Lahore, Bahawalnagar, Sialkot, Gujranwala and Hafizabad.

The CTD said that explosive materials, two hand grenades, one IED bomb, banned literature and cash have been recovered from the possession of the terrorists.

'The terrorists had planned to sabotage across the province and wanted to target important installations,' it said, adding that the police have registered eight cases against the terrorists and shifted them to an unknown location for interrogation.

The CTD early this month had arrested 14 terrorists mostly belonging to ISIS and TTP in Punjab.

There has been a presence of sleeper cells of ISIS militants in Punjab, but the Pakistani government often denies their presence in the country's most populous province.