Pakistani police have arrested four alleged members of an Islamic militant group in connection with the murder of a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric earlier this year.
A senior police official, Saud Aziz, says the four wanted in connection with the slaying of Agha Ziauddin in the town of Gilgit in January were picked up in the city of Rawalpindi. The murder sparked sectarian violence that left at least 14 people dead.
The official says the suspects belong to the Sunni Muslim Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and that they were plotting to attack Shi'ite events last week but changed their minds because of tight security.
The banned group is accused of killing hundreds of Pakistani Shi'ite Muslims in recent years and is believed to have links to the al-Qaida terrorist network.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
