Three Sri Lankan cricket team bus attackers killed in Pakistan

Islamabad, Aug 28 (IANS) Four terrorists, including three who were charged in the 2009 attack on a visiting Sri Lankan cricket team, were killed late on Saturday in Pakistan's Punjab province, the provincial Counter-Terrorism Department said on Sunday.

"On August 27 at about 11 p.m., a CTD team was taking accused terrorists involved in the Moon Market Iqbal Town Lahore blast of 2008 for identification of a house in Lakho Dehr," the CTD claimed in a statement.

Those killed were identified as Zubair alias Naik Muhammad, Abdul Wahab, Adnan Arshad and Ateequr Rehman.

"The first three terrorists were also involved in the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009, in which six police officials were killed ... and several cricketers were injured," it said.

An anti-terrorism court in June indicted six members of a banned outfit in the Sri Lankan cricket team attack case.

The suspects were identified as Obaidullah, Javed Anwar, Ibrahim Khalil, Abdul Wahab, Zubair and Adnan Arshad. The first three suspects are on bail, while others were behind bars.

All the suspects had pleaded not guilty and decided to contest the case during an in-camera hearing in Kot Lakhpat jail.

A bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricketers came under a gun and grenade attack at Liberty Chowk, near Gaddafi Stadium, on March 3, 2009. Seven players and an assistant coach were wounded, while eight Pakistanis were killed in the attack.