PAKISTAN: One of two suicide bombers who was killed in the second attempt to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan in 11 days has been identified and several suspects detained, the Interior Minister said.
Mr Faisal Saleh Hayat declined to reveal the identity of the bomber or say who was suspected of being behind Thursday's attack, but analysts pointed to a long list of President Musharraf's enemies, ranging from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda to domestic militants or even Islamists in the military.
Mr Hayat had 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, the Information Minister, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, said.
Intelligence officials confirmed they were questioning several people, but gave no details. However, they said they did not rule out the possibility of the involvement of Islamists within the armed forces.
In the past, lower-ranking military officials have been arrested for links with militants.
President Musharraf has angered militants by dropping support for Afghanistan's former Taliban regime, arresting hundreds of members of al-Qaeda and cracking down on domestic groups while at the same time edging towards peace with India.
- (Reuters)