CHARSADDA Police claimed to have arrested the alleged mastermind of suicide attacks in Charsadda and seized a suicide vest from his house during a raid carried out in Turangzai area on late Monday night.

Officials said Hafiz Shahid Riaz was held on information provided by three men arrested in Nissata two months ago. The suspect is a madressah teacher.

District Police Officer Mohammad Riaz Khan said at a press briefing that explosives, a Kalashnikov, a computer, 70 cassettes and jihadi literature had been seized during the raid.

He said police had also arrested Hafiz Shahid`s father Kifayatullah, brother Imran and sister Effat who worked in the police department. 

The CPO said the suspects had revealed that during the recent by-election for the provincial assembly seat PF-21 a suicide attack had been planned on ANP leader Azam Khan Hoti, father of Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti.

The police official said that Hafiz Shahid was a follower of Baitullah Mehsud group and was affiliated with groups headed by Ehtesham and Shakeel in Shabqadar.

He said the suicide vest had been given to Hafiz Shahid by Baitullah Mehsud`s men. Peshawar Range DIG Sifwat Ghayyur also came to Charsadda and interrogated the suspects.

Former interior minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao survived two suicide attacks in the area in 2007 -- 32 people were killed in the first attack in April and 57 in the second. In

February 2008, a suicide bomber struck an ANP election rally, killing 27 people. On Oct 2, 2008, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan survived an attempt on his life by a suicide bomber in Walibagh.