World | Pakistan
Police arrest another suspect in Bhutto's murder
Police arrested one more suspect in connection with Benazir Bhutto's assassination in a late night raid in Rawalpindi on Thursday.
- By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 15:51 February 15, 2008
- Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack after an election rally in Rawalpindi on December 27.
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
Rawalpindi: Police arrested one more suspect in connection with Benazir Bhutto's assassination in a late night raid in Rawalpindi on Thursday.
Abdur Rasheed Turabi is an important member of the terrorist network behind the killing of Bhutto in December, said Deputy Inspector General Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, who has been heading the investigations.
He said police already arrested four out of the five alleged attackers who were present at the crime scene. “We are still hunting for the fifth suspect,'' he said, adding that Turabi is not one of the attackers but is an important member of the network.
Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack after an election rally in Rawalpindi on December 27.
Turabi hails from the North West Frontier Province and was on Friday produced in the court of a Judicial Magistrate in Rawalpindi. A senior police official said the suspect has confessed his role in Bhutto's assassination.
Talking to Gulf News here on Friday, Majeed said the suspect knows the details of the Bhutto assassination plan and he played a key role in its execution.
He said Turabi is also involved in a number of other bomb and seaside attacks against security forces personnel in Rawalpindi and other cities.
Majeed said police have been probing the suspect's link with a group of hard-line militants led by a tribal man, Baitullah Mahsoud. Pakistan Interior Ministry had first pointed a finger to Mahsoud saying his group had killed the chairperson of the Pakistan People Party.
The investigation chief said Rawalpindi has become a hub for terrorist activities. Police have regularly been raiding different areas and have taken strict security measures.
Meanwhile, Syed Saud Aziz, city police chief in Rawalpindi, said more than 8,000 police officials, two companies of Rangers (1,400 officials), and three battalions (2,100 soldiers) of Pakistan Army have been deployed in Rawalpindi.
He said cities that neighbour the federal capital Islamabad have recently become a front line target of terrorist attacks. Aziz told Gulf News that police have been deployed at all polling stations. Rangers and police would jointly patrol the city streets and Army units would remain on call.
The police chief said police have prepared contingency plans to maintain peace and order in pre and post elections activities.
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