Pakistan nabs London suspect

Pakistani security forces have arrested a British Muslim believed to be linked to the London bombings, Pakistani intelligence sources said yesterday as Britain outlined plans to tackle radical Islamism.

A Pakistani minister officially denied that Haroon Rashid Aswad had been detained but several intelligence sources said he had been picked up earlier this week during a crackdown on militants in Pakistan that has netted more than 150 people.

In London, Britain said it was moving towards a deal with Amman to deport Jordanians who are seen as a menace, one of a raft of measures to crack down on so-called hate preachers.

The government is hoping to strike similar arrangements with other countries, notably in North Africa, and wants to bolster existing powers to exclude or expel anyone who incites or condones acts of terrorism in preaching or writing.

Pakistan has been a focus of the investigation into the July 7 attacks which killed more than 50 people because three of the four suspected suicide bombers had visited the country.

The three were all British Muslim men of ethnic Pakistani origin. At least one of them visited Islamic schools, or madrasas, some of which are seen as militant breeding grounds.

The fourth suspect was a Jamaican-born British Muslim. Police say they expect to find a clear link between the bombing and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

One Pakistani security official told Reuters Aswad had been arrested three days ago at a house in Sargodha, 150 kilometres south of Islamabad.

"We strongly believe he has links with the bombers," the official said.

Officials said Aswad had been taken from Sargodha and was being held in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Other intelligence sources also stood by their comments on Aswad's arrest, despite a denial by Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.

"We have arrested nobody called Haroon Rashid," the minister told Reuters.

One of the intelligence sources said Aswad had been carrying a belt packed with explosives for a possible suicide attack, around one million rupees ($17,000) and a British passport.

Aswad appears to be the unnamed militant Reuters reported was captured on Monday and found with explosives and cash.