'Blackwater' men nabbed, released

LAHORE Security agencies arrested four suspected members of notorious Blackwater agency while they were trying to force their entry into the Cantonment Area here on Tuesday evening, sources informed. However, they were released two hours later on the intervention of the US Consulate. According to well-placed sources, the officials of security agencies intercepted three vehicles with tinted glasses near Sherpao Bridge, as security was on high alert, a day after twin bomb blasts hit Moon Market, Lahores leading shopping mall, leaving more than 54 people dead and 150 others wounded. The arrested suspects believed to be Cobra operatives failed to produce authentic identification and their purpose for entering into the most sensitive area during cross-questioning with the security agency officials. The sources revealed that the suspects were apparently foreigners and they had no proper travel documents. However, the suspects refused to go with the security agencies for further interrogation and started arguing with security agency personnel, creating a terrible traffic mess at the leading artery of the City. Hundreds of motorists remained trapped in the traffic mess for about two hours. The news of arrest of members of notorious and private spy agency, Blackwater, spread in the City like jungle fire as people stared calling one another to share the development. Meanwhile, on the intervention of the US Consulate, the law enforcement agencies released the vehicles after the Consulate personnel arrived and produced the documents. It is important to mention here that whenever the security agencies nab such private spies, they are released on the intervention of US Embassy or Consulate. When contacted, spokesperson for US Consulate, Jami Dragon, admitted that the vehicles impounded for some hours belonged to the US Consulate Lahore. He said that three diplomatic vehicles of the Consulate were stopped at a check-post for routine checking in Cantonment area, which later were released when the some US Consulate staff members reached the spot and produced documents and identification. Ironically, Jami Dragon very naively said that he did not know about the law and regulations regarding prohibition on the use of tinted glasses in Pakistan. The spokesman did not know whether the vehicles were taken to any other place. However he said, the checking took a couple of hours, for which he said, he did not know the reason.

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