Suicide bomber identified in Musharraf attack

ONE of two suicide bombers who was killed in the second attempt to assassinate Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in 11 days has been identified and several suspects detained, the interior minister said yesterday.

Faisal Saleh Hayat declined to reveal the identity of the bomber or say who was suspected of being behind the Christmas Day attack, but analysts pointed to a long list of Mr Musharraf’s enemies, ranging from Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida to domestic militants or even Islamists in the military.

“One of the two attackers has been identified,” Mr Hayat said. “Our investigators are working on some positive leads and several people have been detained for questioning.”

He earlier told the senate the government was “aware of the nature of the people involved” but said revealing details would impair the investigation.

Investigators had found the mutilated head of one bomber and were trying to prepare a sketch, Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said. The man looked like a foreigner, he said.

Mr Musharraf had been targeted for his “pragmatic stance” in the war on terror, Mr Hayat said. “They are fanatics. They are out to destroy the very fabric of our society.”

Intelligence officials confirmed they were questioning several people, but gave no details. However, they said they did not rule out the possibility of involvement of Islamists within the ranks of the armed forces.

In the past, lower ranking military officials have been arrested for sheltering extremists and for ties with militants. Mr Musharraf, who appeared on state television hours after the attack on his motorcade in the city of Rawalpindi, blamed Muslim militants. The blasts killed 14 people, including the bombers, and slightly damaged the president’s car.

Although Mr Musharraf was unscathed, Mr Hayat said the attack was “much more serious” than past attempts on Mr Musharraf’s life, which include a bomb attack that missed his motorcade by minutes on the same Rawalpindi road on December 14.