KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto says she was warned of an assassination plot against her, but chose to return home anyway, she said Friday.
"This was a dastardly and cowardly attack," she said the day after twin explosions near her convoy in Karachi killed at least 139 people and injured hundreds of others.
While no one has claimed responsibility for the blasts, Bhutto said she received information that four teams were planning attacks, Voice of America reported Friday.
"There was one suicide squad from the Taliban elements. One suicide squad from al-Qaida, one suicide squad from Pakistani Taliban and a fourth group from Karachi," she said.
A Taliban official denied responsibility for the blast.
Pakistan officials released more details about the attack, saying a bomber wearing a suicide vest packed with ball bearings first threw a grenade as a distraction. He then rushed toward Bhutto's armored truck to detonate the bomb.
Bhutto said her guards surrounded and absorbed the brunt of the blast, which she said killed 50 of them.
In Washington, an administration spokeswoman said President George Bush was concerned not only about the situation in Pakistan, but also for the entire region.
