ISLAMABAD – Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble Thursday said that a terror bid was thwarted when a terrorist planning to target the ongoing cricket World Cup 2011 was arrested. He said the arrest was made in Maldives and the suspect was on his way from Karachi to Sri Lanka. He was addressing a joint news conference after meeting Interior Minister Rehman Malik here. The Interpol secretary general said that the Interpol managed to nab the terrorist with the assistance of Pakistan. Noble said that the Interpol had approved two million euros for Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). He said the FIA was also being provided access to Interpol’s data.
He said that Interpol would continue cooperating Pakistan for the elimination of terrorism. On the issue of desecration of the Holy Quran by a US pastor, Noble said the act would encourage the terrorists in achieving their agenda. Speaking on the occasion, Rehman Malik said that Taliban had been trying to enter India. Malik, however, said that the man arrested from Maldives was not a Pakistani national. He said Pakistani was sharing intelligence information with India to foil any terrorist act during the World Cup.
Malik demanded immediate action against those fanatics involved in desecration of the Holy Quran and sought Interpol’s cooperation in this regard. Malik hoped that India would ensure security for the Pakistani cricket team during the semifinal in Mohali. He also handed over a red book containing data of suspected terrorists to the Interpol secretary general.