Thanjavur: Three suspected militants including an imam of a mosque were arrested and explosive materials and weapons were seized from their possession at Mallipattinam, police said.

Their alleged connection with the newly formed 'Muslim Defence Force' was being probed. The arrested were taken to Sethubava Chathiram police station for interrogation, police added.

The imam Ali Ulla was arrested from his room in the mosque complex while others namely Nizamudeen and Khader were arrested from their residence on December 2 on the basis of information provided by a suspected militant arrested in Chennai a few days back.

They had allegedly confessed to having formed a militant outfit 'Muslim Defence Force'.

PTI