September 05, 2008	Friday	Ramazan 04, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Sept 4: Preliminary investigations have shown that there was more than one sniper who targeted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s vehicle as it proceeded to the Islamabad airport to receive him on his arrival from a two-day visit to Lahore.

Sources said there were two marks of bullets on the window and a single sniper would find it very hard to hit a moving car twice within a short period. Therefore it raised a possibility that there was more than one sniper involved in the attack.

The city police have registered a case against unidentified culprits who targeted the motorcade of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

According to the police, the case was registered on the complaint of the prime minister’s gunman, Abdul Razzaq Mehmood, against the unidentified culprits.

In his statement the gunman said on September 3 the motorcade of the prime minister was heading towards the airport. When it reached Numberon Wali Pahari, two bullets were fired on the prime minister’s car which hit the window on the driver’s side, which caused cracks in the glass.

He said the culprits carried out the firing with the intention of murder and to spread terrorism at the behest of some terrorist organisation. The time of the incident mentioned in the FIR was 1:35pm and the spot was Kural Chowk.

An initial investigation report of the incident was submitted to the interior ministry, which was conducted by the joint investigation team headed by the director-general Police Bureau. The incident occurred due to security lapse, the reports said.

The investigators belonging to the police and the joint investigation team searched for clues on Thursday to find out as to who made the failed assassination attempt on Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

The sources said investigations were underway to determine the nature of the incident. Investigators were examining the site on the main highway from Faizabad to the airport.

Samples of windowpanes were taken and sent for forensic tests, including ballistics, to ascertain what exactly hit the prime minister’s car, the sources said, adding that the preliminary investigations suggested that the vehicle might have been hit by bullets fired from long-distance gun(s) fitted with silencer.

The sources said the apparent assassination bid was likely ‘symbolic’. It is crystal clear that the bullets never breached the bulletproof windows, the sources added.

Earlier, the security of the prime minister had been further tightened in the light of threats, besides his movements were also restricted in the month of July.

The prime minister was requested to restrict his movements and avoid moving on roads and participate in public gatherings. He was also requested to move only in case of an emergency.

The sources said steps were taken in the light of intelligence report, which claimed that there were serious threats to the prime minister. Besides, the militants located in the Tribal Areas may target him as he had authorised the military to take strict action against those who violated peace deal in the tribal belt.