Posted on 07/04/2007 2:51:35 PM PDT by Baladas
THE leader of a radical Pakistani mosque was arrested while trying to flee in a woman's burqa as security forces stepped up pressure on a few hundred hardcore followers still holed up inside.
Firebrand cleric Abdul Aziz's capture sparked an exodus from Islamabad's Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, with 1,200 male and female students surrendering to the authorities a day after clashes there left 16 people dead.
The government of embattled President Pervez Musharraf hailed the capture of the firebrand preacher as a major success, after months of criticism that it was failing to tackle extremism.
"After all the things he has said and all the oaths he took from his students that they should embrace martyrdom with him, look at this man,'' deputy information minister Tariq Azeem said.
Aziz was caught after a group of 20 burqa-clad women from the mosque started screaming as they were taken to a nearby school for security checks after giving themselves up, saying the procedure was un-Islamic.
"Our men spotted his (Aziz's) unusual demeanour. The rest of the girls looked like girls but he was taller and had a pot belly,'' a security official said on condition of anonymity.
Paramilitary officer Manzoor Ahmad, who saw the incident, said a policeman spotted one member of the crowd staying silent.
"The officer pounced on the lady, and as he grabbed her, the burqa came off and his beard fell out. He asked the man who he was and he said 'I am Maulana (senior cleric) Abdul Aziz,'' the soldier said.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
(I had to take my mother there...heh.)
Want to fight the Jihad? Outlaw the burqua. Everybody keep their hands on the table!
He learned that trick from bin Laden.
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