Pakistan's Bhutto killed in attack
Updated on 27 December 2007
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in a suicide gun and bomb attack in Rawalpindi.
She left a podium flanked by men in suits and stepped into an armoured car, but as she made her way through the crowd she appeared through the roof waving to supporters.
Moments later the attacker opened fire, shooting her in the neck and chest before blowing himself up.
>>Watch the Benazir Bhutto obituary
Yaseen, a police officer, at the scene said: "As party leaders, including Bhutto, started coming out a man tried to go close to them and then he fired some shots and blew himself up."
Police said at least 15 other people were injured in the explosion.
A Reuters witness also said he saw about eight bodies on a road as well as a mutilated human head.
"She has been martyred," said Rehman Malik, an official from her party.
Opposition groups have warned the killing could spark civil war.
Riaz Malik, of the Pakistan Movement for Justice said: "The impact will be that Pakistan is in more turmoil - it will be the start of civil war in Pakistan."
Munib Anwar, of the Pakistan Lawyers' Action Committee, wept as he said: "This is a very sad day for Pakistan's people and its democracy.
"She was such a brave woman. The hopes for a democratic Pakistan have been dashed today.
"She was the one great hope for Pakistan. Where are we now?"
Echoing anger voiced in many quarters, he added that the "American-supported military government" was partly responsible for her death.
"They brought these terrorists into Pakistan," he said.
"The military and their American masters have to take some of the blame for this."
From his ranch in Texas, US President George Bush said: "The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy. Those who committed this crime must be brought to justice."
'As party leaders, including Bhutto, started coming out a man tried to go close to them and then he fired some shots and blew himself up.'Yaseen, a police officer, at the scene
Ms Bhutto had returned to Pakistan to take part in elections scheduled for January 8.
A suicide bomber killed nearly 150 people in an attack on Bhutto on October 18 this year as she paraded through the southern city of Karachi after returning home from eight years in self-imposed exile.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in a statement: "In targeting Benazir Bhutto extremist groups have in their sights all those committed to democratic processes in Pakistan. They cannot and must not succeed.
"All those committed to a stable future for Pakistan will condemn without qualification all violence perpetrated against innocent people.
"Benazir Bhutto showed in her words and actions a deep commitment to her country. She knew the risks of her return to campaign but was convinced that her country needed her. This is a time for restraint but also unity."
India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: "In her death the subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country.
"The manner of her going is a reminder of the common dangers that our region faces from cowardly acts of terrorism and of the need to eradicate this dangerous threat."
