Islamabad - The sole attacker captured alive in the weekend hostage drama at Pakistan's military headquarters was involved in the attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team earlier this year, an intelligence official said Sunday. Aqeel, alias Dr Usman, was captured by military commandos who stormed a security building near the army base in Rawalpindi, where five attackers were holding more than 40 soldiers and civilians hostages since Saturday.
"He (Aqeel) is one of the most dangerous terrorists and has links with al-Qaeda," said an intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"He was long wanted by law enforcement agencies for masterminding the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team early this year."
Seven Sri Lankan players and their British coach were injured when they escaped an attempt by a dozen gunmen to take them hostage in the eastern city of Lahore on March 3.
Aqeel was also suspected of involvement in a plot to kill former president Pervez Musharraf in July 2007, according to the intelligence official.
Anti-aircraft shots narrowly missed Musharraf's airplane as it took off from the Chaklala airbase in Rawalpindi, the garrison town adjacent to Islamabad.
Aqeel, a former soldier, put up tough resistance during the pre-dawn rescue operation at the military headquarters Sunday. He blew up his explosives after a two-hour gunfight, severely injuring himself and five commandos.
The 22-hour siege resulted in the death of eight soldiers, three hostages and nine militants.
