ISLAMABAD, May 18: The Lal Masjid ‘brigade’ on Friday made four policemen hostage, accusing them of ‘spying’ for the government and raising the fear of a possible crackdown.

Later in the night, police registered an FIR against the two Lal Masjid clerics and 72 of their followers, citing terrorism and other charges. More details of the FIR were not available.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah and senior security officials held a meeting with the clercis late on Friday night and put all security agencies on high alert.

There was a likelihood that security forces might mount an assault on the mosque but no action was taken till the filing of this report.

Local administration moved to increase the number of security personnel deployed around the mosque following the kidnapping incident and tried to negotiate the release of the kidnapped policemen.

But talks, conducted by Magistrate Farasat Ali and Assistant Superintendent of Police Kamran Adil, broke down when Maulana Abdul Aziz and his brother Maulana Abdul Rasheed Ghazi refused to wait until Saturday morning for the release of 11 of their colleagues earlier detained by security agencies.

This is the second time that the Lal Masjid militants have humiliated the government by taking policemen hostage.

The detained policemen were identified as ASI Aurangzeb and constables Jehangir, Yasin Shal and Arshad Ahmed. They all belong to the Barakahu police station.

In his Friday sermon, the in-charge of Lal Masjid, Maulana Abdul Aziz again threatened the government of suicide attacks all over the county if any operation was conducted against the mosque administration.

Condemning Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ijazul Haq’s statement that an operation was likely against the hard-line clerics, the Maulana said the mosque’s supporters were ready to carry out ‘Fidai’ (suicide) attacks.

“I invite the government to conduct the operation and see what will happen in the country,” he threatened.

He also warned that government officials would be ‘kidnapped’ if 11 of their colleagues, picked up by security agencies in earlier operations, were not released immediately.

He also asked the government to curtail the perks and privileges of parliamentarians, equalising them with the salary of the common man.

According to Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the mosque’s deputy in-charge, the policemen, who were in plain clothes, were outside the mosque on a ‘spying mission’.

“We had already advised the local administration not to carry out such acts which could aggravate the situation but it chose to ignore our warnings,” he said.