Fleeing Mosque Leader Caught in Islamabad As Siege Tightens

The leader of a pro-Taliban mosque was captured hiding under a burka last night as he tried to escape a siege, while hundreds of his followers reportedly surrendered to the Pakistani government.

Maulana Abdul Aziz was discovered by a policewoman as she searched students fleeing Lal Masjid - the Red Mosque - in central Islamabad, where a two-day showdown with the government has left 16 people dead and 150 wounded. The government claimed that a further 1,000 militants had also abandoned the mosque, enticed by promises of safe passage and 5,000 rupees (£41) in pocket money.

But the siege had not collapsed. Heavily armed militants, estimated to number between 1,500 and 4,000, stayed inside the mosque, vowing to fight to the end. Sporadic gunfire erupted as evening fell.

Mr Aziz's brother, Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi, remained at large, offering to negotiate with the government.

Lal Masjid shot to prominence six months ago after indoctrinated students launched an anti-vice campaign that targeted music shop owners and suspected prostitutes in a wealthy Islamabad district. Abdul Aziz was the spiritual leader while Ghazi emerged as its main spokesman. The brothers are sympathetic to al-Qaida and have claimed to have hundreds of suicide bombers at their disposal.

Their campaign embarrassed President Pervez Musharraf. At first he did nothing, saying a violent showdown could spark nationwide violence. But the final straw may have been the abduction of seven Chinese staff at a massage parlor last week. They were freed but China, a key ally of Pakistan, demanded greater security.

After an attack on a checkpoint on Tuesday, the authorities hit back. A gun battle outside the mosque left 16 people dead. Early yesterday the soldiers went in.

"They have no options but to surrender," said Javed Iqbal Cheema, a government spokesman. "The government is not into dialog with these clerics."