Investigation suggests new death cause of Bhutto

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-29-2007 13:10

The Pakistani government has released a tape of the last moments of assassinated Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

The Interior Ministry now says Bhutto was killed when she tried to duck back into the vehicle and that the shock waves from the blast knocked her head into a lever attached to the sunroof, fracturing her skull. Details >>

Pakistani Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema speaks during a news conference in Islamabad December 28, 2007. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood

Cheers and waving as normal for a campaign but events suddenly turned ugly and bloody.

The Pakistani Interior Ministry is contradicting initial reports that said Bhutto was killed by gunshots fired by an an assassin and the explosion from a suicide-bomb attack. Pakistani Interior Ministry authorities are now detailing a different explanation.

Javed Iqbal Cheema, Spokesman of Pakistan Interior Ministry, said, "When she was ducking down and was thrown by the force of the shock wave of the explosion, unfortunately one of the levers on the left side, the lever of the sunroof hit her and hit her on her right side which caused a fracture in her skull and unfortunately that became the cause of her death."

The cause for the discrepancy in the initial reports was not immediately clear. But Cheema was consistent with earlier reports indicating that al-Qaida was behind the attack.

Javed Iqbal Cheema, Spokesman of Pakistan Interior Ministry, said, "We have intelligence intercepts indicating that al-Qaida leader Baitullah Mehsud is behind her assassination. We just have an intelligence intercept that was recorded this morning in which Baitullah Mehsud has congratulated his people for carrying out this cowardly act."

The Pakistani Interior Ministry announced the formation of two inquiries into Bhutto's death. One to be carried out by a high court judge and another by security forces.

Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack on Thursday in a park near the capital Islamabad after addressing a political rally. More than 20 people were also killed in the suicide attack.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei