Yahoo! News Pakistanis: Cleric's killer Bangladeshi By ZARAR KHAN, Associated Press WriterTue Jul 25, 11:29 AM ET
Police on Tuesday said the suicide bomber who killed a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric last week was Bangladeshi and arrested three Pakistani Sunni militants accused of planning the attack. Cleric Allama Hassan Turabi was killed by a suicide bomber outside his home in the southern port city of Karachi on July 21. Turabi's cousin and a police guard also died in the sectarian attack. Sindh provincial police chief, Jehangir Mirza, told reporters that police, acting on a tip, raided a Karachi home early Tuesday and detained three men on suspicion of involvement in the attack. Mirza said the men confessed to preparing a 16-year-old Bangladeshi acquaintance, Abdul Karim, to carry out the attack several hours before it took place. Police found at the house a videotape showing a male claiming to be Karim addressing his family by saying: "I am performing a noble task. Don't worry about me. I will meet you in heaven." Karim said he was going to "kill the chief infidel," but didn't mention Turabi's name. The grainy video, which was played to journalists Tuesday, showed Karim wearing a headscarf and holding a pistol. He also wore what appeared to be an explosives-packed vest with at least two hand grenades dangling from its front. Earlier Tuesday, the three detainees led police to the home of Karim's parents, who recognized him from a still photograph taken from the video. Karim's mother said she hadn't seen her son in two weeks, Mirza said. "I think she was not aware of the fate of her son, and she learned it only from the police," Mirza said. The detained trio were identified Mohammed Amin, Sultan Mahmood and Mohammed Rahman and they belonged to outlawed Pakistani militant groups Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Saha and Jaish-e-Mohammed respectively, Mirza said. The three also confessed to taking part in a failed April 6 attempt to kill Turabi, he said. Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, often flares with sectarian violence. An April 11 suicide bombing killed more than 50 people who had gathered at a Sunni Muslim ceremony in a Karachi park. Turabi's killing sparked massive riots with hundreds of mourners, mostly youths, setting fire to a Pizza Hut, two gas stations and a dozen vehicles. Pakistan has a history of sectarian violence, mostly blamed on rival Sunni and Shiite extremist groups. Most Sunni and Shiite Muslims live peacefully together, but radical groups on both sides often target each other's leaders and activists. About 97 percent of Pakistan's 150 million population is Muslim, the overwhelming majority of whom are Sunni. Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Questions or Comments Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email. http://us.click.yahoo.com/7EuRwD/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
