Pakistan detains ex-navy commandos after raid

Published 10:10 am Monday, May 30, 2011

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A security official says Pakistani intelligence agents are detaining all members of the navy who have been fired over the last several years as part of investigations into last week’s militant attack on a naval base.

The officer said Monday at least one ex-commando was detained Friday in the city of Lahore because he was dismissed from the force. He says its unclear whether the man had any link to the raid on the base in Karachi.

The move suggests that Pakistani authorities suspect the militants who attacked the base may have had inside knowledge.

The officer did not give his name because of the sensitivities of revealing details of intelligence operations.

Pakistani intelligence agencies are not bound by law to have firm suspicion or evidence to detain people.