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| India-Pakistan |
| Investigators eye tribal elements |
| 2008-01-12 |
| Investigators on Friday said ‘tribal’ elements were behind Thursday’s suicide attack here, which killed 24 people, most of them policemen. However, they said it was too early to determine exactly who orchestrated the bombing. “It seems that the incident has links in the tribal region and Thursday’s blast was the handiwork of those who have carried out similar strikes in other parts of the country,” senior police officer Aftab Cheema told AFP. “The inquiry team is looking into all aspects of the crime and we hope to reach the bottom of the incident and those involved in it very soon,” he added. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, in which a suicide bomber approached a group of about 60 riot police outside the Lahore High Court and detonated a device packed with ball bearings. Head and legs: “A head and legs found at the site of the blasts are being examined and DNA tested. His face is also being reconstructed by doctors,” Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Cheema said. He said banned outfits and extremist elements are behind the terrorist and suicide attacks, reported APP. Cheema strongly condemned the attacks, saying, “we will give strict and harsh punishment to these miscreants and anti-state elements who are behind these attacks. It will be a lesson for them.” Meanwhile, one of the seven-member investigation team told Daily Times on condition of anonymity that they had recovered a finger believed to be of the bomber, which has been forwarded to the National Database and Registration Authority to trace his identity through fingerprinting. Modern methods: The investigator said the matter was being pursued through modern forensic methods. He said investigators had collected three different types of ball bearings from the crime scene, adding that they were forwarding all collected body parts to the Institute of Microbiology at Punjab University for DNA testing. The officer said investigators were trying to find links between the bombings in Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore. Also on Friday, District Coordination Officer Muhammad Ijaz and Lahore Police Chief Malik Muhammad Iqbal visited hospitals to inquire about the well being of the injured policemen and citizens. They distributed Rs 20,000 to each of them on behalf of Punjab Chief Minister Ejaz Nisar. |
| Posted by:Fred |