Both men have been arrested and are under investigation for their suspected role in the attack on the military parade, which killed three people, including a member of Parliament, and wounded 11.

Afghanistan’s intelligence chief, Amrullah Saleh, has blamed Al Qaeda for the attack. He said three of the men involved were in contact with people outside Afghanistan, including people in Miram Shah, a town in Pakistan’s tribal region of North Waziristan, the main base for Taliban and Al Qaeda in the region.

The arrested police captain, named Zalmai, is a trained nurse and was in touch with Homayoun, the mastermind of the attack, Wardak said. The arrested army officer, named Jawed, known by his nickname, Taleb Shah worked in the military’s weapons maintenance department.