Pakistani police find bomb-making gear, cache of explosives in blast-hit Lahore

Pakistan police find cache of explosives in Lahore

LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistani police discovered a cache of bomb-making equipment and thousands of pounds of explosives Monday in an empty Lahore shop where authorities said a string of attacks on the eastern city may have been plotted.

Two suicide jackets, 16 hand grenades, hundreds of bullets and more than 3,300 pounds (1,500 kilograms) of explosives were found, said Police Superintendent Ali Nasir. He said police raided the shop after a tip from the owner, who told authorities he’d become suspicious because his new tenants had never opened for business. The explosives were packed into sacks, he said.

Police Chief Parvaiz Rathore said that while the investigation was not yet complete, “we believe the recent terrorist attacks in the city have been originating from this place.”

Lahore has been battered by a string of explosions in recent days. The explosives were found in a Lahore neighborhood where five small bombs exploded Friday evening, injuring a handful of people. Hours earlier, in a different Lahore neighborhood, two suicide bombers targeting soldiers on patrol killed 55 people and injured about 100 more in coordinated explosions.