ISLAMABAD, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested 12 militants in the eastern Punjab province and recovered a significant quantity of explosives and weapons, officials said on Monday.

The intelligence-driven operations were conducted in Lahore, Faisalabad, and Bahawalpur districts, a CTD spokesperson said. The suspects were allegedly planning attacks on sensitive installations and places of worship across the province.

The spokesperson said the operation followed the tracing of a social media account reportedly operated from a neighboring country. The suspects had been recording videos of sensitive locations and sharing them with their handlers via WhatsApp.

Authorities recovered seven improvised explosive devices, two detonators, 102 feet of safety fuse wire, additional explosive materials, weapons, mobile phones, and cash.

Cases have been registered against the detainees, and investigations are ongoing, the spokesperson added. Enditem