Shots were fired at Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's motorcade near Islamabad's airport today, but police said he was not in it at the time.
The attack is bound to compound the fears of investors and allies, who have been worrying about chronic political instability and Islamist militant violence in the nuclear-armed country.
A police official said the motorcade was on its way to the airport to pick Mr Gilani up at the time of the attack.
"The car was going towards the airport when it was fired upon from a small hill . . . two bullets hit the driver's window," he said.
Earlier, the prime minister's spokesman had said shots were fired at Mr Gilani's motorcade and that he was not hurt.
Television pictures showed two bullet marks a couple of inches apart on the cracked bullet-proof window.
A Pakistani Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility, saying Mr Gilani was responsible for offensives against militants in the northwest. "We will continue such attacks on government officials and installations," said a the militant spokesman.
Mr Gilani is a senior member of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's party. She was killed in a suicide gun and bomb attack on December 27th while campaigning for a general election.
Reuters