Five gunmen who attacked a disputed religious site in northern India were Islamic militants who came from Pakistan, police said on Friday, adding that three gun-runners linked to the assault have been arrested in Kashmir. The five were all members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba guerrilla force, which India blames for an attack on its parliament in December 2001 and on a Hindu temple in western Gujarat state in 2002, a police chief said. The militants were gunned down by Indian troops when they blasted their way into a heavily-guarded religious complex claimed by both Hindus and Muslims in the northern Indian town of Ayodhya on July 5. A sixth person who has not been identified was also killed. âThe militants crossed over into India from Pakistan in August 2004 and began their plans to attack the shrine,â said Yashpal Singh, chief of the police force of Uttar Pradesh state where Ayodhya is located. âThey were all foreign nationals,â Singh told reporters in Lucknow, without elaborating. None of Kashmirâs two dozen Islamic separatist groups have so far claimed responsibility.
Police chief Singh said three gun-runners linked to the assault were arrested in Kashmir and had provided vital information on the modus operandi of the attackers. Two of the slain guerrillas had been identified, he said, adding that the five lived in a New Delhi rented house before travelling to Ayodhya. âThey had made New Delhi their base and were working under Mohammad Kari, an area commander of the Lashkar in Kashmir,â he said.