QUETTA, Pakistan, July 15 (UPI) -- Pakistani authorities detained 13 members of a suspected al-Qaida outfit carrying suicide vests and a bomb in the southern province of Baluchistan.
Authorities said the 13 suspects were detained near Dera Murad Jamali, a district center in Baluchistan.
Security teams acting on a source intercepted a vehicle traveling to Multan in central Pakistan from Quetta, the provincial capital, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reports.
Only one Pakistani was involved in the ring. Five Afghans, three Turks, two Saudis and two Kuwaitis were among those detained.
Security officials confiscated a sizable amount of foreign currency, including U.S. dollars, as well as five suicide vests and a 24-pound bomb.
Baluchistan province has witnessed a rise in militant activity in recent weeks. At least 18 people were injured when a bomb detonated at a bus station in Dera Murad Jamali in June.
Security concerns in Baluchistan are among the lingering disputes over efforts to move forward with the Iran-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline, which Pakistan sees as vital to avoid an energy crisis.
