Pakistan holds al-Qaeda suspects

Pakistan has stepped up its campaign against al-Qaeda

Police in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar say they have arrested a foreign al-Qaeda suspect.

The man, who they believe is Iraqi, was held a day after evading arrest during a shoot-out in the west of the city.

Another man, identified as Algerian, also escaped but was captured in a raid on a mosque later on Thursday.

Pakistan's authorities have arrested more than 60 people in the past month as part of operations against the al-Qaeda network.

Pakistan's interior ministry confirmed the arrests but refused to give any details.

"I confirm that our security officials have arrested two foreigners in Peshawar, and they are being interrogated," ministry spokesman, Abdur Rauf, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

Shoot-out

Thursday's raid took place in a residential area in the western part of Peshawar.

Eye-witnesses say the intelligence agents were chasing a vehicle being driven by one of the suspects.

When the two men were asked to stop, they opened fire and also threw a grenade at the security officials.

One of the men managed to escape while the other, who was wounded, was captured.

He has been identified as Abu Fouzi, an Algerian.

Over the past month, Pakistan has stepped up its campaign against alleged al-Qaeda suspects operating out of the country.

Among those captured are Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, an alleged al-Qaeda computer expert, and Ahmad Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian with a $5m bounty on his head for his suspected involvement in the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in east Africa.