Exiled Pakistani politician Hussain arrested in London

LONDON/KARACHI (Reuters) - Exiled Pakistani politician Altaf Hussain, leader of the powerful Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was arrested in London on Tuesday, a spokesman for the party said, sparking fears of a violent backlash in Pakistan. Police said a 60-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of money-laundering during an early morning raid on a house in northwest London but declined to confirm his identity. A spokesman at the MQM headquarters in north London confirmed that Hussain had been arrested and said further details would be released later. Hussain, one of Pakistan’s most divisive and controversial leaders, who is wanted at home in relation to a murder case, has lived in London in self-imposed exile since the early 1990s.