Hafiz Mohammed Sohaib with students at a madarsa in Bhawalpur, Pakistan, on Wednesday. Sohaib, who is a teacher at the madarsa, said his sister married a man called Khalid Rauf three years ago. Rashid Rauf, the alleged mastermind of the plot to blow up 10 US-bound jetliners, used Khalid as an alias. (AP)

Islamabad, Aug. 17 (AP): Interrogations of suspects in Pakistan lead its investigators to believe that the alleged plot to blow up US-bound jetliners was sanctioned by the al Qaida leadership, a senior intelligence official said today.

The terror group’s number two leader Ayman al-Zawahri probably cleared the plot, the official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation.

The latest investigations by Pakistan also indicate that a British national arrested in Pakistan, Rashid Rauf, planned the plot and recruited people in Pakistan. He had also made contacts with people in Britain to take part, the official said.

He said Rauf was operating under an al Qaida mastermind whom the official declined to identify.

The plot to blow up as many as 10 airliners flying from Britain to the US was thwarted in Britain last week as a result of intelligence cooperation between Pakistan, Britain and the US, officials say. Dozens of people have been arrested in Britain and Pakistan.

Pakistan’s government has said that the plot was linked to al Qaida in Afghanistan and that Rauf was a “key person” in the plot. Rauf’s brother, Tayib Rauf, was among those arrested in Britain.

British probe

British detectives probing an alleged plot to bomb transatlantic airliners have released without charge one person they had arrested, police said today.

But a court has granted them further time to question 23 suspects — 21 for another week, two for another five days.

Explaining the release, police said: “In all operations, some people may be released without charge while others may remain in custody for further investigation.

“This is not unusual and is to be expected in large and complex criminal enquiries where a number of arrests have taken place.”

Detectives had to apply to extend the detention warrants for the 23 suspects arrested since police said they had foiled a plan to carry out suicide bombings on planes bound for the US.