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CNN Live Today

Musharraf Convenes Committee to Investigate Yesterday's Grenade Attack on Protestant Church

Aired March 18, 2002 - 11:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Shifting now to Pakistan, President Musharraf has convened a special committee to investigate yesterday's grenade attack on a Protestant church service in the heart of Islamabad's diplomatic enclave. An American embassy worker and her teenage daughter were among the five fatalities in the incident.

CNN Islamabad bureau chief Ash-Har Quraishi is working this story for us.

Hello, Ash-Har.

ASH-HAR QURAISHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon.

What we hear today is military and police forces are on high alert here in Pakistan, stepped up security at all diplomatic missions and churches around the country. President Musharraf saying that the attackers that committed this attack on the church yesterday were terrorists. He called these people enemies of Pakistan, and he also said that he's taking this very seriously. The investigation continues.

Agencies, local agencies and federal agencies as well, coordinating efforts to hunt down who may behind this attack. Now today, we had a chance to speak with some of those people inside the church at that time. One of those injured in the attack, who was also a witness, obviously, told us what he saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had finished the singing part of the service, which I had been leading, and I was sitting with my wife who had been playing the piano, right up by the piano, in the front corner of the church. We heard a bang sound -- may not have been an explosion, but maybe the door being thrown open in the back of the sanctuary, and I didn't turn fast enough to see anybody. I saw the grenades landing through three feet away on the floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QURAISHI: Well, the investigation is continuing. So far, authorities tell us that there have been no arrests and they have not found any suspects. No understanding right now as to what the motivation was behind this attack. But at this point, they say that they are searching, they are continuing this investigation here in Pakistan -- Leon.

HARRIS: Ash-Har Quraishi, thank you very much. We appreciate that, reporting live from Pakistan.

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