A woman carrying 286lbs of explosives in her vehicle was detained in Islamabad, following recent threats by the Pakistan Taliban to attack high profile targets.
The explosives, made of fissile material used in firecrackers as well as bombs, were packed in seven cartons. They were uncovered at a security checkpoint at Sabzi Mandi, in the southeast of the city.
Police say the woman, whose name has not been release, claimed she was paid to drive the vehicle from her native province of Peshawar. It has become a common tactic among militant groups in South Asian and the Middle East to hire citizens to unwittingly transport weapons.
Pakistan has been on high alert ever since the Taliban issued its threat two weeks ago. Shortly before, at least twenty people died and 100 injured by a carbomber at the police investigation department headquarters in the country’s second city of Karachi. An insurgent group affiliated with both the Taliban and Al Qaeda is being blamed for attack.