Injured foreigners leave for home by special flights
Dawn Report
RAWALPINDI/WASHINGTON, March 17: Five foreigners, who were injured in the bomb explosion in an Islamabad restaurant, were taken to their home countries by special flights on Monday.
Informed sources told Dawn that three US citizens, among them an FBI operational chief in Pakistan, a Canadian national and a Japanese were taken to their native countries by separate special flights.
US citizen Rod Smeider sent home by a chartered air ambulance. Two other US nationals were taken to their country via Dubai by a special flight in the night.
Canadian Adar Adan was taken to Dubai by a special flight in the wee hours of Monday, while Japanese citizen Onaish was sent home via Abu Dhabi in a special flight.
A special aircraft is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday night to take the remaining injured foreign nationals to their respective countries, the source said.
Four of the injured victims of the Luna Caprese restaurant bombing worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s anti-terrorism wing while the fifth US national was a support staff member of the US embassy in Islamabad.
Statements of all injured people, except foreigners, had been recorded by Pakistani officials investigating the case.
The sources said some of the injured sitting in the backyard of the restaurant had told investigators that they had seen an object being thrown into the restaurant premises from outside.
However, Pakistani investigators were of the view that an improvised device had been planted in the restaurant.
Meanwhile, an FBI spokesman told Dawn in Washington that four FBI personnel had been injured in the restaurant bombing.
Special Agent Richard Kolko said the bombing had left four FBI members injured.
“The FBI is providing the necessary assistance to our employees and their families.”
In reply to a question whether the agency had reasons to believe that the attackers targeted Luna Caprese, an Italian restaurant popular with foreigners, because they knew that FBI personnel were present there, Mr Kolko said: “We are not offering any additional information. We refer you to the Department of State for additional comments.”
Other US officials, quoted in the US media, however, downplayed the possibility that the attack had targeted the agents.
