Islamabad - Pakistani police said Wednesday they had detained one of the seven gunmen involved in the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3.

Police produced a hooded suspect they identified as Neak Muhammad, alias Zubair, before the media in Lahore. The hooded man admitted being one of the seven who ambushed the cricketers near a roundabout.

"I was brought to Lahore two days before the attack," the man told reporters.

Six policemen and two civilians were killed, while seven players were injured in the attack.

Addressing the media, city police chief Pervez Rathor said: "All the seven attackers had been identified, one is in our custody, while six more at large."

He sought public support for the arrest of the remaining six, and issued their photographs.

According to Rathor, all those involved in the attack were from the Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab terrorist organization.

He said he suspected the six still being sought might have fled to Pakistan's tribal belt along the Afghan border, where Taliban militants have their bases.

The gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan players to Gaddafi Stadium to open the third day of play of their second test match in Pakistan's cultural hub Lahore.

Rathore said that the gunmen wanted to take the Sri Lankan players hostage, but they failed to do so as the bus driver managed to drive off at speed, surviving a rocket attack and direct rifle fire.

The "well-trained" attackers fled safely, leaving their bags packed with 32 grenades, 10 small automatic rifles, five pistols, a rocket launcher, walkie-talkies and stocks of food.

The terrorist strike led to the abandonment of international cricket in Pakistan, including the 2011 World Cup.(dpa)