PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Police raided a suspected Al Qaeda hideout in northwestern Pakistan (search) on Thursday night, killing one suspect in a gunbattle, police said.
Officers went to the home in the city of Peshawar (search) after informants told them that Al Qaeda suspects were in the residence, said a police official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official did not provide further details about the suspects.
After surrounding the two-story house and firing tear gas, police entered the first floor, shooting a man who tried to throw a grenade at police, the official said.
The gunfire stopped, and soon after midnight police searched the second floor but found no one. There was no indication of the nationality of the one dead man.
Intelligence agents were also participating in the raid.
The home was rented by a Pakistani man, Abdul Hadi, who runs a non-governmental organization, said a neighbor, Adnan Khan. He said he did not know anything more about the group.
Pakistan, a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terror, has arrested nearly 500 suspected Al Qaeda men, most of whom have been handed over to the United States.
In March 2003, Pakistan arrested Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (search), one of Al Qaeda's top leaders. He was caught near the capital, Islamabad, about 93 miles west of Peshawar.
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