ISLAMABAD, Aug 21: The law-enforcement agencies have arrested five members of a 'terrorist' group, including foreigners, who had planned to attack main official buildings and embassies in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said this at a hurriedly-called press conference here on Saturday night.

He said the law-enforcement agencies were hunting two masterminds of the plan who belonged to Egypt.

The agencies also seized a huge cache of arms and munition, including bombs, grenades, rockets, rocket launchers, detonators and around 50 other explosive devices, he said.

The group had planned attacks on the Presidency, the Prime Minister House, General Headquarters (GHQ), the US embassy, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) House, Convention Centre and Lal Haveli on the night between August 13 and 14, Sheikh Rashid added.

The two Egyptians, still at large, have been identified as Qari Ismael and Shaikh Essa.

He said the law-enforcement agencies were still hunting four other members of the group. He said the terrorists had planned to carry out attacks in two groups.

The minister said the alleged terrorists were arrested from different places last week.

They were wanted by the law-enforcement agencies in a number of cases.

He said the group had links with terrorists who were arrested in Gujrat, including Ghailani, Talha and Shifa Ibrahim.

One Usman and Abdul Rasheed Ghazi (son of a local religious leader) had also connections with the group. These two men had met Qari Ismael who had provided them three mobile connections.

The agencies also seized a van, the minister said. Police were also on the lookout for the two.

During investigation, the name of Javed Ibrahim Piracha also came to light, he said.

APP adds: He said the gang had plans to cause devastation and killings in the twin cities. Their plan was spread over a week, he added.

More arrests are expected in a couple of days, the minister said.

He told a questioner that these arrests were made during last one week from different cities.

A number of vehicles which were to be used in these attacks have also been traced, he said.

He said that the identity of those arrested was being kept secret as more arrests were yet to be made.

When asked whether the gang had any connections with some internationally-known terror group, he said facts were being gathered.

He, however, said it was a small new group.

He made it clear that they had no links with the Jamaat-i-Islami nor Naeem Noor Khan had any links with them.

He said the arrests were made solely by Pakistani security agencies.

He said the country's security agencies had penetrated into terrorists' network and they had achieved notable successes.

Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hyat told APP in Lahore that the two Egyptians belonged to Al Qaeda.

He claimed that 10 persons involved in the terror plan "have been caught."

"Imam of Lal Masjid Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi played an important role in this conspiracy and the law-enforcement agencies were searching for him," he said.

"We hope to catch him and the rest of the gang members soon."