Bomb blasts hit Bhutto's return to Pakistan
Bhutto landed in Karachi at around 2 p.m. local time from Dubai and was making her way at snail’s pace toward the shrine of Pakistan’s founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah, where she was due to give a speech. Some 20,000 police and paramilitary troops, including snipers and bomb disposal units, had been mobilised to provide security. An estimated 150,000 to 300,000 people lined the route. The two bombs detonated shortly after midnight, creating scenes of panic and chaos.
At this stage, no organisation has claimed responsibility. At least three groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Taliban were reportedly threatening to kill Bhutto for supporting for the US “war on terrorism” and its occupation of Afghanistan. Haji Omar, a Taliban commander in Waziristan, told Reuters: “She has an agreement with America. We will carry out attacks on Benazir Bhutto as we did on General Pervez Musharraf.”
Pakistani President Musharraf and the US were both quick to condemn the bombings
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