Teen suspect in Benazir’s murder arrested in DIK

* 15-year-old says he was part of 5-man squad deployed to kill Benazir
* Claims he was to carry out a suicide attack in a mosque on Ashura

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Security officials in the NWFP said on Saturday they had arrested a teenager allegedly involved in last month’s assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, reported AP.

Aitezaz Shah, 15, told investigators that he had been part of a five-man squad deployed that day in Rawalpindi, a senior intelligence official, asking not to be named, said.

Aitezaz was arrested on Thursday in Dera Ismail Khan with another militant identified as Sher Zaman, according to the officials.

The two terrorists have confessed their involvement in the plot to kill Benazir, ARY television quoted Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah as saying.

Shah, however, said the two terrorists had no involvement in the October 18 tragedy in Karachi. The intelligence official said Aitezaz had told investigators that the team of assassins had been dispatched by militant leader Baitullah Mehsud.

Maulvi Muhammad Umar, a purported spokesman for Mehsud, denied his group had links with Aitezaz, and said he had not been dispatched by Mehsud to kill Benazir.

“It is just a government propaganda,” he said. “We have already clarified that we are not involved in the attack on Benazir.”

Benazir died on December 27 when one member of the squad, whom Aitezaz allegedly identified as Bilal, fired at her and detonated an explosive vest as she was leaving an election campaign rally in Rawalpindi.

A senior district police officer in Dera Ismail Khan confirmed Aitezaz’s arrest and said the suspect made “a sensational disclosure”.

‘Plan’ foiled: The intelligence official said that Aitezaz had told investigators he was supposed to carry out a suicide attack on a Shia mosque there on Sunday during the feast of Ashura, and that Zaman was going to provide him with an explosive vest.

Aitezaz named the man who assisted Bilal in Benazir’s attack as Ikram, the official said.

On Friday, the military said that up to 90 Islamic militants aligned with Mehsud had died in clashes with troops in South Waziristan.

On Saturday, Mehsud’s spokesman denied that the army had killed 90 of their people.“The army is killing innocent people in our area, and we will avenge it,” he told AP. ap/daily times monitor

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Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.