Pakistan sweep nets bomb suspects
Targets alleged to have included Musharraf, U.S. Embassy
From CNN Bureau Chief Ash-har Quraishi
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan has arrested more than five suspects in a plot to bomb several high-profile targets in Islamabad, including the U. S. Embassy and the official residences of Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, government officials said Sunday.
"Their aim was to have seven days of continuous attacks," Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told reporters Saturday evening.
Authorities initially reported five suspects were arrested, but government officials said early Sunday the number could be up to 10, including two Egyptians.
They said the men are believed to have ties to the al Qaeda terrorist network, many members of which sought refuge in Pakistan after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Investigators found the suspects in possession of 50 bombs, several rocket launchers and various guns when arrested, Ahmed said.
Authorities said the bombings were to begin August 13, on the eve of Pakistan's independence day. Senior government ministers were warned to limit public appearances and travel in the days leading up to the holiday, when arrests were still being made.
Among the targets, Ahmed said, were the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and Musharraf's two official residences -- one he occupies as president, the second as chief of staff of Pakistan's army.
Musharraf survived two assassination attempts in December that were blamed on al Qaeda operatives.
And his prime minister-designate, Shaukat Aziz, narrowly escaped a July 31 suicide bombing that killed nine people, for which an al Qaeda affillate claimed responsibility.
In the past five weeks, Pakistan says it has captured more than 60 terror suspects, including key al Qaeda operatives.
Pakistan has been hunting remnants of al Qaeda and the Taliban in its tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, where hundreds of militants, including Arabs and Central Asians, have taken refuge since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001.
