Pakistan questions 'car bomb' trio

Police found a huge haul of explosives and chemicals

Three men have appeared in court in Pakistan suspected of plotting a suicide bomb attack against US diplomats in Karachi.

A judge in the southern port city remanded them in custody for two weeks.

They are highly committed people whose targets are foreigners, particularly Americans

Kamal Shah, police chief

The men were arrested after being found in a car containing explosives, police say.

Their court appearance came as a senior US State Department official began talks in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca's discussions are expected to include the US-led war on terror and tensions with India.

She meets President Musharraf on Tuesday.

Fertiliser 'bombs'

Police say the detained men belong to a little-known Islamic movement, Harkat-e-Jihad, and were trained in Afghanistan alongside other radicals.

The suspects are linked to a deadly blast in May

Members of the group have been arrested in the past in connection with militant activities.

The authorities say the men's confessions led them to a warehouse where they found 250 sacks of ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser used to make bombs.

At least one of the suspects is thought to have been involved in an attack on a bus outside a hotel in Karachi in May, which killed 11 French naval technicians and three Pakistanis.

Police chief Kamal Shah identified him as 28-year-old Asif Zaheer.

"This time he wanted to go himself for the suicide bombing and his target was two US diplomats," said Inspector Shah.

Militant releases

Ms Rocca: Mini-tour of the region

Ms Rocca's visit to Pakistan is the first by a US official since elections in October gave a boost to religious parties.

Islamic leaders in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan oppose Pakistan's support for the US war on terror.

Ms Rocca is expected to discuss security issues, particularly in Karachi, where 12 Pakistanis died when the US consulate was bombed in June.

The recent release of militant leaders is thought likely to feature, too.

Tensions with India have receded since the summer, but fears were recently raised that Pakistan was secretly helping North Korea's nuclear programme in return for missile technology.

Islamabad denied the reports.