Islamabad, Pakistan, Aug 22 -- Pakistan has arrested up to 10 al Qaeda suspects, including two Egyptians, suspected of planning major suicide attacks against the government and the U.S. Embassy this month, cabinet ministers said last night. Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that up to six people had been arrested over a period of about a week, in advance of attacks that were planned for Aug. 13, the eve of Pakistani Independence Day. He said group members were found with rockets, grenades, rifles and explosives. Their targets, Ahmed said, included the presidency, the military residence of President Pervez Musharraf, the U.S. Embassy, the office of the chief minister of Punjab province and the national convention center. The targets are all in the capital, Islamabad, or in nearby Rawalpindi. Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat said "eight to 10" people were being held, including two Egyptians, whom he identified as Qari Ismail andSheikh Essa, both suspected of being "key elements" of the group. Hayat said the plots bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda network. "We have obtained valuable information from the foreigners. . . . We have unearthed a big and sinister plan," Reuters quoted Hayat as saying. He said the men were found with "the latest gadgetry and equipment." --SPA1319 Local Time 1019 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/194023