The attempt to kill Pakistan's prime minister-designate could be retaliation for the capture of a key al Qaeda suspect in the deadly 1998 bombing of two US embassies in East Africa, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid said on Sunday.
Friday's assassination attempt on Shaukat Aziz could be in "retaliation" to the arrest of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, Rashid said.
"Ghailani was a big catch as he had trained many militants for suicide bombings," the minister told AFP. "This is for the first time that al Qaeda has claimed responsibility, and its authenticity needs to be examined," Rashid said.
"Al Qaeda had not even claimed the responsibility for the attempt on President Pervez Musharraf in December, why they have now come out with such a statement," he said. "Terrorists are creating terror in different parts of Pakistan, but we will continue to play our positive role in the international war against terrorism," he said.
"Pakistan's security agencies have arrested several wanted militants and they must be getting frustrated and in retaliation attacking security and government officials," Rashid added.
"We have detained a few people belonging to an outlawed organisation," he said, promising to share the details with media later. Military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said threats of further attacks by al Qaeda would not weaken Pakistan's resolve to rid the country of terrorism.
Comments
Comments are closed.