WSJ : Pakistani Police Question Three In Connection With Bombing

Pakistani Police Question Three In Connection With Bombing

Associated Press | October 20, 2007

Police in Pakistan questioned three people Saturday over the deadly bombing of Benazir Bhutto's homecoming caravan. The men were linked to a vehicle that police believe was used by one of the attackers who threw a grenade at the convoy, said a senior investigator who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation. That blast was followed by the suicide bomber's detonation.
[Benazir Bhutto]

The blasts killed at least 136 people and injured more than 200 in the deadliest terrorist attack in Pakistan's history, turning Ms. Bhutto's jubilant homecoming parade into a scene of carnage. Police picked up the three men from southern Punjab province -- Pakistan's largest province and a hotbed of militancy -- and brought them to Karachi for questioning. The senior investigator said police believed the men hold crucial clues on the bombing.

Meanwhile, a top government official insisted that Pakistan did everything it could to protect Ms. Bhutto on her homecoming, dismissing accusations that officials may have been complicit in the attack.

On Friday, Ms. Bhutto blamed al Qaeda and Taliban militants for the assassination attempt against her, and vowed she was ready to risk her life to restore democracy to her troubled homeland. But she also hinted Friday that government or military officials could have been involved in the attack -- a charge the government rejected.

The list of people who could have targeted the pro-Western leader is long. Ms. Bhutto blamed remnants of the regime of former military leader Gen. Zia ul-Haq, who was allegedly complicit in her father's execution. Islamic extremists could also be bent on stopping a female political leader from modernizing Pakistan. Authorities say the suicide bombing bore the hallmarks of a warlord and the al Qaeda terror network -- an attack that began with a man throwing a grenade into a sea of people following Ms. Bhutto's convoy, and then blowing himself up with a device packed with nuts and bolts. "So far we cannot say it was done by al Qaeda, but the investigations are still going on," Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said Saturday.

Ms. Bhutto's supporters, meanwhile, said they were not yet even sure if the probe could be trusted. "We will watch it carefully and respond and give our reaction depending on how it goes," said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Ms. Bhutto's party.

Police released a sketch of what it said was the severed head of the suspected suicide bomber -- a man in his 20s with curly hair and hazel eyes. A second severed head was also found, but police said they believed he was a bombing victim.

Copyright © 2007 Associated Press