Sonic Boom Rattles Pakistani Nerves

[G_j]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4466994,00.html

Sonic Boom Rattles Pakistani Nerves

Wednesday September 1, 2004 7:16 PM


By PAUL HAVEN

Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - A sonic boom that many mistook for an explosion rattled windows and nerves in Pakistan's capital, where tensions were already high on Wednesday in the hours before the government swore in a new cabinet under heavy security.

Pakistanis are on edge after a series of high-profile al-Qaida arrests, assassination attempts and thwarted terror attacks in recent weeks. On Wednesday, the government said it had arrested two more terror suspects, one of them allegedly a senior al-Qaida operative.

Police and emergency officials reported receiving thousands of calls after a loud boom that rattled windows across a large swath of Islamabad. Hundreds of jittery residents left their offices and poured into the streets to see what had happened.

The cause of the boom was initially a mystery. The air force at first ruled out a sonic boom. Local media reported rumors it may have been caused by an explosion at a textile factory.

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