Libyan behind assassination bids: Pak Prez

Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf said today that a Libyan member of Al Qaeda was behind two assassination attempts against him in...

Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf said today that a Libyan member of Al Qaeda was behind two assassination attempts against him in December.

‘‘The man who organised the suicide attacks against me was from Libya and a member of Al Qaeda,’’ Musharraf told a meeting of tribal elders in Peshawar. The Pakistani leader, who escaped the attacks unhurt, did not name the Libyan suspect, who he said funded Islamic militants to carry out the bombings. Musharraf has previously said Al Qaeda could have played a part in the attacks, but this was the first time he explicitly identified a suspect.

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‘‘He gave Pakistan Rs 1.5-2 million to a Pakistani who recruited Islamic militants, Islamic extremists,’’ the Pakistan President said.

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The President promised that the government would reveal more details about who was behind the attacks. He said the suspects would be shown on television. ‘‘You will see their interviews,’’ he said, without giving further details.

The two bombings happened 10 days apart in December. On both occasions, Musharraf was travelling in a motorcade in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.

The first attack destroyed a bridge seconds after his vehicle passed, but no one was hurt.

In the second attack, suicide bombers tried to ram into his vehicle, killing 16 people. — (PTI)