Thwarting terror bid: FC seizes prohibited material near Quetta

Raid was conducted on a tip-off; five suspects arrested.

QUETTA: Thwarting a terror bid, the Frontier Corps (FC) on Sunday seized a huge quantity of prohibited material that can be used for explosions from a bus on a bypass located at the Quetta-Iran border, Express News reported. Five, including a woman, were also arrested during the search operation.

According to an FC spokesperson, the raid was conducted on a tip-off received from Mastung that explosives in a huge quantity were being brought into Quetta.

The material seized during the raid includes aluminium, sulphur and potassium and experts present in the area confirmed that these chemical elements can be used for explosions.

The material was hidden in concealed boxes in the bus, which was also transporting edibles and other household items reportedly to divert attention.

FC personnel surrounded the area and conducted a search operation. Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was also called in, in order to prevent any potential blast.

The driver and the suspects have been moved to an undisclosed location where they are being interrogated.

It was earlier reported that 4,000kg of explosives were seized, however, later media reports stated that the weight of the prohibited material is yet to be determined.