Arrest of 'Jish Muhammad' Members Suspected of Christmas Night Bombing in Pakistan - 2002-12-26

The police in Pakistan arrested four men, including a radical Muslim cleric, in connection with the deadly Christmas Day attack on a church near the city of Lahore in eastern Pakistan. According to the police, three of the detainees are members of the now-defunct militant group 'Jish Muhammad,' which fights against Indian rule in Kashmir. Mohammad Afzal, the arrested cleric, is accused of inciting participants in the attack. He is alleged to have made hateful remarks about Christians in Pakistan in his recent speeches. The Christmas Day attack on the Presbyterian Church resulted in the deaths of three young girls and injuries to at least thirteen Christian worshippers. The ceremony held on Christmas Eve at a church near Lahore was suddenly attacked by a number of unidentified assailants. The attackers threw several grenades at the church, resulting in the deaths of three people and injuring eleven others. No individual or group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The police in Pakistan had increased their precautions around churches ahead of Christmas. Prior to the Lahore church incident, the police announced that they had discovered some explosives and several bullets in a church in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Church officials were fearful of being attacked but decided to continue their religious ceremonies nonetheless.