(VOVworld) - Pakistani authorities announced that they have arrested a man suspected of being an important commander in al-Qaeda's newly created South Asian wing.

Police arrested Shahid Usman, about 35, in the southern city of Karachi late on Thursday together with various weapons and explosives. Al Qaeda's new South Asia wing, al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, tried to hijack a Pakistani navy ship in September this year, a few days after the group had announced its formation. Police say Usman is the head of the al Qaeda wing in Karachi, a steamy port city of 18 million people, and was planning more attacks there.