Rao Iqbal, Pakistani police chief shows grenade to media allegedly captured from terrorists, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 29 Jan 2009

Pakistani police say they have arrested a gang of militants linked to al-Qaida and wanted in connection with a series of deadly bombings.

The police say they arrested nine men this week during a raid in the central city of Rawalpindi.

Authorities did not identify the suspects or describe the evidence against them, but they said the men had connections to the northern tribal regions where Taliban and al-Qaida militants operate.

Authorities said Thursday that the suspects are connected to last year's deadly bombings at the Danish embassy and an Italian restaurant in Islamabad. Police also tied the suspects to the killing of a senior medical official.

Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, al-Qaida leader claimed responsibility for the Danish Embassy bombing.

Militant violence in Pakistan generally is concentrated in the country's northwestern region, bordering Afghanistan. 

Authorities in the northwest said Thursday that suspected militants shot and killed a tribesman from North Waziristan after accusing him of spying for the United States.

In North West Frontier Province, which neighbors North Waziristan, authorities say security forces killed at least two militants in a gunfight overnight in the town of Bannu.

The area has seen a surge in violence since Taliban and al-Qaida fighters began fleeing Afghanistan after U.S. forces invaded the country in 2001.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.