Bhutto murder: Police hold two more suspects

Police have arrested two more suspects for the suicide attack that killed Pakistan’s opposition leader Benazir Bhutto as thousands of her followers gathered at her tomb to end their mourning and launch her party’s campaign for this month’s parliamentary elections.

Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said the suspects were picked up yesterday in Rawalpindi, where Ms Bhutto died in a gun and bomb attack on December 27.

However, he would not say whether the two men were key figures in the assassination, which threatened to plunge the nation into political chaos.

“I can’t really comment on whether (the arrest) is important,” Cheema said. “After the investigation, I will be in a position to say more.”

A security official identified the suspects as Hasnain and Rifaqat but gave no further details.

Last month, police in north-western Pakistan arrested two other suspects, including a 15-year-old boy who was alleged to have been part of a back-up suicide squad assigned to kill Ms Bhutto if the primary assassins failed.

The latest arrests were announced as a team of detectives from Scotland Yard returned to Pakistan to report the findings of their probe into the assassination.

Their report is expected to shed light on exactly how Ms Bhutto died – amid confusion over whether she was killed by a gunshot or the impact of a suicide bombing.

British diplomats are expected to release a summary of the report today.

President Pervez Musharraf invited Scotland Yard to conduct its own investigation after allegations from Ms Bhutto’s supporters that the government may have been involved in her death. Mr Musharraf rejected calls from Ms Bhutto’s party for an independent United Nations investigation.

American and Pakistani officials believe the assassination was masterminded by Baitullah Mehsud, an al Qaida-linked commander based in South Waziristan.

Mehsud leads Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a coalition of Islamic extremist groups that has been fighting Pakistani forces in the lawless tribal area along the border with Afghanistan.

On Wednesday, Mehsud’s coalition announced an indefinite ceasefire with Pakistani forces.

Ms Bhutto’s murder triggered nationwide riots that caused billions in damage and the deaths of at least 40 people. That prompted the government to postpone parliamentary elections for six weeks until February 18.

The balloting is aimed at restoring civilian government after eight years of military rule. Mr Musharraf was re-elected president in October but needs a strong majority in parliament to fend off growing demands for his impeachment.