ABU DHABI – Oman was said to have launched a crackdown on an Al Qaida-aligned network.

Omani sources said the sultanate has arrested hundreds of people since mid-January in what they termed Muscat's first crackdown on Al Qaida. The sources said authorities were acting on information from foreign intelligence agencies that Al Qaida had established a cell in the sultanate and was planning attacks on Western interests.

Oman has been the base for the militaries of Britain, France and the United States. The three countries plan to launch a major naval exercise with Oman later in 2005.

So far, the sultanate has denied reports that bombings took place during the Id Al Adha holiday, which ended on Jan. 23.

The sources said authorities have captured arms and explosives caches in two locations in Oman. They said security forces have found evidence that Al Qaida insurgents sought to bomb a controversial festival held during Id Al Adha.

The Omani crackdown was said to have been the largest in more than a decade. The London-based Al Hayat daily reported that 300 people have been arrested in the space of a week and included prominent Omanis in the military and other sectors.

In 1994, Oman launched a crackdown against Islamic opposition. At the time, about 200 people were said to have been arrested.