Monday, 18 March, 2002 Diplomats in Pakistan on High Alert After Grenade
Attack
VOA
News 18
Mar 2002
 
Diplomatic missions
and other foreign installations across Pakistan remain on high alert Monday, as
authorities hunt for those behind Sunday's deadly assault on a Protestant
church in Islamabad.
The hand grenade
attack near the U.S. embassy killed five worshippers and wounded 45 others. The
dead include a American diplomat's wife and their teenage daughter, an Afghan,
a Pakistani and a fifth unidentified victim - possibly the
attacker.
Pakistan President
Pervez Musharraf has ordered an intensive manhunt as well as a high-level
security meeting Tuesday to examine security measures at the church and other
foreign installations.
Sunday, Interior
Minister Moinuddin Haider said church officials had recently stopped Pakistani
security forces from searching people entering the church, after church-goers
complained of being inconvenienced.
It is not clear what
security was in place at or near the church when the attack occurred, and no
one has claimed responsibility.
U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State Christina Rocca cut short a visit to India today and headed
to Islamabad. She is now expected to accompany the bodies of the American
victims back to the United States.
General Musharraf
called the attack a ghastly act of terrorism aimed at sabotaging Pakistan's
crackdown on religious extremists and the U.S.-led war on terrorism in
neighboring Afghanistan.
President Bush
expressed outrage and condemned the killings as acts of murder that cannot be
justified or tolerated. He said U.S. officials will work closely with Pakistan
to find those responsible and bring them to justice.
The Protestant
International Church is attended by diplomatic families from about a dozen
countries. Witnesses say about 70 worshipers were listening to a sermon in the
church when a lone attacker entered, began shouting, and then started throwing
grenades.
Some information
for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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