COLOMBO, March 1: Sri Lankan military officials claimed on Saturday to have prevented a massive destruction plan blamed on the LTTE rebels in the north western area of Mahawa.

The officials said employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board had detected a claymore mine of about five kilogram placed near an electricity transformer and informed the bomb disposal squad in time.

Meanwhile, amidst increased cordon and search operations in Colombo, police sources said they had arrested a 19-year-old Tiger cadre in Borella, an area in the capital, in connection with Friday explosion killing two persons.