Nine held over serial grenade blasts in Indian occupied Kashmir

16 Apr, 2006

Nine suspected militants were arrested over a series of grenade attacks in occupied Srinagar that killed five people and injured 43, police said on Saturday.
All nine men, arrested on Friday and Saturday, were suspected of belonging to a group Jaish-e-Mohammed, said the police chief, Gopal Sharma.
"Our swift investigations have lead to the arrest of nine militants involved in these attacks," Sharma told reporters.
Security was stepped up since the attacks with occupied troops searching all cars coming into the city and frisking pedestrians. Security forces were deployed in strength around state-owned radio and television buildings.
"We're on high alert," police inspector Altaf Ahmed said as his men checked cars with metal detectors. Police said the attackers had aimed at occupation forces but had also hit civilians.
"There's no business at all," said Ahmed Khan, a fruit seller in the city. Sharma said the arrests happened after police seized a minibus late Friday carrying explosives on the outskirts of Srinagar, home to over a million people.
"Our men recovered 38 grenades and other ammunition from the minibus," said Sharma, adding that questioning of a suspect on the bus led to the arrest of the others.
Six of the nine arrested were from occupied Srinagar.
"Interrogations are continuing and more arrests are likely," Sharma said.

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