<p>The suspect, identified as Muhammad Ilyas, was held from the Nasirabad area of Balochistan's Loralai district, some 100 km east of capital Quetta, Geo TV said.<br /><br />The cleric, Sarfraz Ahmad Naeemi, was in his office adjacent to a mosque here when a teenage suicide bomber entered the building and blew himself up Friday. <br /><br />Three others were also killed in the blast, which the Taliban has taken responsibility for.<br />Naeemi, a moderate cleric, was a staunch critic of the Taliban and played a major role in turning public opinion in Pakistan against extremism and terrorism. <br /><br />He was a vocal supporter of ongoing military operations against the Taliban in Swat and three neighbouring districts. He repeatedly issued fatwas to declare suicide attacks were against Islamic principles. <br /><br />The mosque blast, as also another explosion in the city Friday that too claimed four lives, came a day after security forces repulsed a militant raid on the residence of a regional army commander in the northwestern region, killing two attackers and arresting five after a shoot-out. <br /></p>
<p>The suspect, identified as Muhammad Ilyas, was held from the Nasirabad area of Balochistan's Loralai district, some 100 km east of capital Quetta, Geo TV said.<br /><br />The cleric, Sarfraz Ahmad Naeemi, was in his office adjacent to a mosque here when a teenage suicide bomber entered the building and blew himself up Friday. <br /><br />Three others were also killed in the blast, which the Taliban has taken responsibility for.<br />Naeemi, a moderate cleric, was a staunch critic of the Taliban and played a major role in turning public opinion in Pakistan against extremism and terrorism. <br /><br />He was a vocal supporter of ongoing military operations against the Taliban in Swat and three neighbouring districts. He repeatedly issued fatwas to declare suicide attacks were against Islamic principles. <br /><br />The mosque blast, as also another explosion in the city Friday that too claimed four lives, came a day after security forces repulsed a militant raid on the residence of a regional army commander in the northwestern region, killing two attackers and arresting five after a shoot-out. <br /></p>