Pakistan arrests catering firm associates in NY bomber case, one worked in Houston for awhile

Dawn:

The US Embassy warned Friday that terrorist groups may have ''established links'' to a high-class catering company in Pakistan that a security official said is owned by a suspect arrested over the failed car bombing in Times Square.

In an unusual e-mail message to US residents in Pakistan, the embassy said U.S. government personnel had been instructed to avoid using the Hanif Rajput Catering Service, a well-known firm often used by foreign embassies in Islamabad.

The US embassy said the suspicions about the catering company have been shared with Pakistan government agencies.

The message said Rajput was owned Rana Ashraf Khan and his son Salman Ashraf.

Earlier this week, a senior security official said that one of at least two people arrested in Pakistan over links to a Pakistani-American detained in connection with the failed Times Square car bombing was called Salman Ashraf. He identified him as the son of the owner of Rajput catering service.

...

A biography on the Rajput website said Salman Ashraf Khan studied in Houston, Texas, before returning home to help run the family business. It said Rana Ashraf Khan worked for Pakistan International Airlines for 20 years and then started the catering firm.

...

The Houston connection is also interesting. We seem to be shaking more information out of the NY bomber that is unraveling his associates who helped him with his plot. It is also leading to what is probably a spy ring. The story does not indicate what part those arrested may have played in the NY plot.

The NY Times reports that a Pakistani army officer was also arrested in the case. He is believed to be a disaffected major and was not acting on behalf of the army according to the Times sources.

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