Posts Tagged ‘Scotland Yard’

Benazir died by bomb, not bullets: Scotland Yard report

Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed by the force of a suicide blast and not by gunfire, according to a report released on Friday by detectives from Britain’s Scotland Yard.

The report concluded that a lone attacker fired shots at Benazir before detonating explosives at a political rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, but said that bullets were not the cause of death.

“The blast caused a violent collision between her head and the escape hatch area of the vehicle, causing a severe and fatal head injury,” said the report, signed by Detective Superintendent John MacBrayne.

Scotland Yard to submit report on BB probe Friday : Cheema

British detectives will give their first report to the government of Pakistan this week on their findings in the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.

A team of forensic and explosive experts from Scotland Yard spent more than two weeks in the country after President Pervez Musharraf sought British help following Benazir’s December 27 assassination in a gun and suicide attack.

“They informed us that they would submit their report by Friday.” Interior Ministry Spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema (Retd) .

The British investigators are due to arrive here on Thursday from London.

British embassy spokesman Aidan Liddle also confirmed the report would be presented to the government this week.

Asked if the team would investigate further, Cheema said it would depend on the circumstances.

The government frequently said the investigators’ task was to give their opinion on the cause of Benazir’s death to bring to an end a controversy over exactly how she died.

Initially the government said the former two-time premier died from a fatal blow to the skull when she hit the sunroof while hurriedly withdrawing into a vehicle after a powerful suicide blast at an election rally.

But her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and media reports said she died of wounds from bullets fired by shooter from a very close range as she stood waving to party workers.

President Musharraf later admitted that it was possible Benazir might have been shot dead.

Pakistan People’s Party demanded a United Nations probe into her death but the government has rejected this.

Benazir had accused several senior government and intelligence officials of plotting to kill her following a double suicide attack on a parade to welcome her home from exile in October.

The government said it would make Scotland Yard’s findings public.

Musharraf asks Scotland Yard team to get to bottom of the issue

President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday called upon the Scotland Yard team to make all-out efforts to get to the “bottom of the issue” in the investigation into Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

“He (president) asked the UK detectives to make all-out efforts to get to the bottom of the issue, for which the government is ready to further provide all kinds of cooperation,” spokesman Maj-Gen (retd) Rashid Qureshi told Dawn after the investigators called on President Musharraf.

He said President Musharraf inquired of the team whether it needed more support from the country’s security and intelligence agencies.

“You do your best and we will do our best to know the truth about the death of the Pakistan People’s Party leader,” - President Musharraf

He was asked whether the Scotland Yard team discussed with the president reports about the elimination of evidence after the entire area outside the Liaquat Bagh was cleaned up.

“The Scotland Yard team did not raise this issue nor did the president talk about it,” the spokesman said.

“We want to know how it happened and why it happened,”-President Musharraf (Quoted by Maj-Gen (retd) Qureshi)

He thanked the UK government for its prompt response to Pakistan’s request.

President Musharraf expressed the hope that the forensic and technical expertise of the Scotland Yard would greatly supplement the efforts of investigating the assassination.

The government of Pakistan, the president said, was committed to unearthing the evidence, finding out the truth and bringing those responsible for this heinous crime to justice.

He assured the British investigators of fullest cooperation of Pakistan’s investigating agencies.

Responding to a question, the spokesman said that the British team left satisfied after the meeting.

This was basically a courtesy call on President Musharraf by the Scotland Yard team during which issues pertaining to the death of Ms Bhutto were discussed in detail and the president assured them that the government would not hide anything and wherever they wanted to go, could go, and they would be provided all the necessary support, Mr Qureshi added.

Asked how long the investigation will continue and that whether he expected any preliminary report by the Scotland Yard soon, the spokesman said that it all depended on the team to say anything about it.

“From our side, they will continue receiving all the needed support from any agency, any organisation or any individual,” he said.

Scotland Yard team visited the hospitals

The Scotland Yard team visited Combined Military Hospital and District Hospital Rawalpindi on Monday and they interviewed the people who got hurt in the explosion after the rally. More than fifty people got hurt where as around twenty people including Benazir Bhutto died in the deadly explosion planned for her assassination.

The Scodland Yard team was headed by David Keth. The team visited District Hospital later and met Medical Superintendent Khalid Malik, inquiring about the post mortum reports of the people who died in this event. None of the deadbodies were thoroughly examined and were handed over to their relatives after some basic observations.

They also visited the mortury where they examined and took photos of the incomplete face, hand and leg of the supposed suicide killer. They haven’t yet met the doctors who gave the first aid to Benazir Bhutto when she was brought to the hospital by her aides.

British detectives inspection at Liaquat Bagh

The Scotland Yard’s investigators inspected the Liaquat Bagh public park where Benazir was assassinated as she left a campaign rally on December 27.

“The Scotland Yard team is examining the venue where she addressed a rally and the site where she was attacked” - Rawalpindi police official

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