625 arrested in Pakistan terror sweeps

Apr 13,2009 00:00 by UPI

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- More than 600 people were arrested during a four-day Pakistani police sweep of suspected militants, officials said Monday.

Those arrested -- 625 people -- were detained in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and include Afghan nationals with suspected ties to Taliban militants in the Swat Valley near the Afghanistan border, Pakistan's English-language newspaper Dawn reported.

Police also arrested people suspected of involvement with the March 30 siege of the police academy in Manawan, the newspaper said.

Authorities also reportedly carried out a sweep of Islamabad's slums to check into terrorism ties, with a similar effort to be conducted in the city's residential apartments, Dawn said.