Suspect in Pak sectarian killings held

Usman Kurd, allegedly from the feared Lashkar-e-Jhangvi organisation, was seized in Mauripur district of the southern port city of Karachi, police officer Fayyaz Khan told AFP. Some weapons were also recovered, he said.

"He was among the most dangerous Lashkar-e-Jhangvi militants and was trained in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime," Khan said, adding that police were investigating whether he was still in contact with the Taliban.

Police said Kurd was the group's chief for Pakistan's troubled southwestern province of Baluchistan, where he allegedly orchestrated two deadly attacks on the Shiite community.

A 2003 suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Quetta, the provincial capital, left more than 50 people dead while at least 48 were killed in a suicide and gun attack on a Shiite procession in 2004.

Karachi, where Kurd was arrested, is in Sindh province and officials said the suspect may be handed over to police in neighbouring Baluchistan after initial questioning.

A special investigation team from Quetta was also due in Karachi later Wednesday.