Islamabad, Pakistan - A top Pakistani Christian leader says "trained terrorists" were behind attacks on churches, a school and a student hostel in a village, sparked by rumors that a local Christian man had desecrated Islam's holy book.
Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who heads the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance in mostly Muslim Pakistan, said the chemicals used to burn down the buildings in Sangla Hill village were the same as those used in previous attacks blamed on extremist Muslim groups.
"Normally kerosene or petrol is used by protesters for burning cars and homes, but in our case, they used highly flammable chemicals, which quickly caught fire, burning the churches, melted iron rods and fans," he told The Associated Press. He said the attacks last Saturday were "well coordinated," leading investigators to believe that "trained terrorists" were involved.
Bhatti has been in the village in eastern Pakistan investigating and interviewing witnesses.
Bhatti said no one was killed or injured in the attacks only because Christians either locked themselves in their homes or fled. Christians returned home Monday after police arrested about 90 Muslims in connection with the attacks, police said.
The trouble began when local clerics using mosque public-address systems accused Christians of burning the Quran at a one-room Islamic school in the area, and demanded that Muslims exact punishment. A Protestant and Roman Catholic church were burned.
Christians and other minorities comprise 3 percent of Pakistan's 150 million-plus majority Muslim population.