Police: 4 Pakistanis arrested over Marriott blast

[October 24, 2008]  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Police arrested four men in connection with last month's suicide attack on a hotel that killed 54 people, authorities said Friday.

The four are suspected of "indirect involvement" in the blast at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, police chief Ahmad Latif said. They are the first known arrests in the Sept. 20 attack.

The attack was a reminder of the gathering threat posed by Islamist militants in nuclear-armed Pakistan.

Latif said the men were arrested in different parts of Punjab province, but gave no more details. They were brought before an anti-terrorism court where a judge gave police permission to hold them for questioning for one week.

Militants in Pakistan have launched more than 90 suicide attacks on civilian, military and Western targets since July last year, killing nearly 1,200 people, according to military statistics.

Authorities have said they suspect the Marriott blast was carried out by terrorists based in the tribal regions near the border with Afghanistan.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.