Pakistan has detained more than 5,000 suspected militants since the deadly Easter bombing

Pakistani police commandos stand guard at the suicide blast site in Lahore on March 28, 2016

(Image credit: FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP/Getty Images)

published 29 March 2016

Pakistani authorities have detained more than 5,000 suspected militants since the Easter suicide bombing at a crowded park in the eastern city of Lahore that left at least 70 dead. All but 216 of the suspected militants have since been released. The remaining suspects are undergoing further investigation.

A splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat-e-Ahrar, has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they had targeted Christians in the blast that hit a park where families had gathered to celebrate the Easter holiday. Many of the victims were children.