IP-455 Press Release 8 February 2008 The findings of a Scotland Yard inquiry into how Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto died after being attacked during a political rally in Rawalpindi were presented to the Government of Pakistan today . The bomb explodes near Bhutto 's vehicle following a political rally in Rawalpindi . The conclusions of the inquiry were outlined in a detailed report handed over to interim Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz by Detective Superintendent John MacBrayne , accompanied by a senior official from the British High Commission , during a meeting in Islamabad . The text of the executive summary of the report is as follows : . On the 27th December 2007 , Mohtarma Benazir BHUTTO , the leader of the Pakistan People 's Party ( PPP ) , died as a result of being attacked in Rawalpindi , Pakistan . Following discussions between the Prime Minister and President Musharraf , it was agreed that officers from the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command ( SO15 ) should support the investigation into Ms Bhutto 's death . The primary focus of the Scotland Yard team was to assist the Pakistani authorities in establishing the cause and circumstances of Ms Bhutto 's death . The wider investigation to establish culpability has remained entirely a matter for the Pakistani authorities . The SO15 team was led by a Detective Superintendent Senior Investigating Officer , and comprised two forensic experts , an expert in analysing and assessing video media and an experienced investigating officer . The team arrived in Pakistan on 4th January 2008 and spent two and a half weeks conducting extensive enquiries . During the course of their work , the team were joined by other specialists from the United Kingdom . The UK team were given extensive support and co-operation by the Pakistani authorities , Ms Bhutto 's family , and senior officials from Ms Bhutto 's party . The task of establishing exactly what happened was complicated by the lack of an extended and detailed search of the crime scene , the absence of an autopsy , and the absence of recognised body recovery and victim identification processes . Nevertheless , the evidence that is available is sufficient for reliable conclusions to be drawn . Within the overall objective , a particular focus has been placed on establishing the actual cause of death , and whether there were one or more attackers in the immediate vicinity of Ms Bhutto . The cause of death . Considerable reliance has been placed upon the X-rays taken at Rawalpindi General Hospital following Ms Bhutto 's death . Given their importance , the x-rays have been independently verified as being of Ms Bhutto by comparison with her dental x-rays . Additionally , a valuable insight was gained from the accounts given by the medical staff involved in her treatment , and from those members of Ms Bhutto 's family who washed her body before burial . Ms Bhutto 's only apparent injury was a major trauma to the right side of the head . The UK experts all exclude this injury being an entry or exit wound as a result of gunshot . The only X-ray records , taken after her death , were of Ms Bhutto 's head . However , the possibility of a bullet wound to her mid or lower trunk can reasonably be excluded . This is based upon the protection afforded by the armoured vehicle in which she was travelling at the time of the attack , and the accounts of her family and hospital staff who examined her . The limited X-ray material , the absence of a full post mortem examination and CT scan , have meant that the UK Home Office pathologist , Dr Nathaniel Cary , who has been consulted in this case , is unable categorically to exclude the possibility of there being a gunshot wound to the upper trunk or neck . However when his findings are put alongside the accounts of those who had close contact with Ms Bhutto 's body , the available evidence suggests that there was no gunshot injury . Importantly , Dr Cary excludes the possibility of a bullet to the neck or upper trunk as being a relevant factor in the actual cause of death , when set against the nature and extent of her head injury . In his report Dr Cary states : . • `` the only tenable cause for the rapidly fatal head injury in this case is that it occurred as the result of impact due to the effects of the bomb-blast . '' • `` in my opinion Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto died as a result of a severe head injury sustained as a consequence of the bomb-blast and due to head impact somewhere in the escape hatch of the vehicle . '' Given the severity of the injury to Ms Bhutto 's head , the prospect that she inadvertently hit her head whilst ducking down into the vehicle can be excluded as a reasonable possibility . High explosives of the type typically used in this sort of device , detonate at a velocity between 6000 and 9000 metres per second . This means that when considering the explosive quantities and distances involved , such an explosion would generate significantly more force than would be necessary to provoke the consequences as occurred in this case . It is also important to comment upon the construction of the vehicle . It was fitted with B6 grade armour and designed to withstand gunfire and bomb-blast . It is an unfortunate and misleading aspect of this case that the roof escape hatch has frequently been referred to as a sunroof . It is not . It is designed and intended to be used solely as a means of escape . It has a solid lip with a depth of 9cm . Ms Bhutto 's injury is entirely consistent with her head impacting upon the lip of the escape hatch . Detailed analysis of the media footage provides supporting evidence . Ms Bhutto 's head did not completely disappear from view until 0.6 seconds before the blast . She can be seen moving forward and to the right as she ducked down into the vehicle . Whilst her exact head position at the time of the detonation can never be ascertained , the overwhelming conclusion must be that she did not succeed in getting her head entirely below the lip of the escape hatch when the explosion occurred . How many people were involved in the immediate attack ? There has been speculation that two individuals were directly involved in the attack . The suggestion has been that one suspect fired shots , and a second detonated the bomb . All the available evidence points toward the person who fired shots and the person who detonated the explosives being one and the same person . • Body parts from only one individual remain unidentified . Expert opinion provides strong evidence that they originate from the suicide bomber . • Analysis of the media footage places the gunman at the rear of the vehicle and looking down immediately before the explosion . The footage does not show the presence of any other potential bomber . • This footage when considered alongside the findings of the forensic explosive expert , that the bombing suspect was within 1 to 2 metres of the vehicle towards it rear and with no person or other obstruction between him and the vehicle , strongly suggests that the bomber and gunman were at the same position . It is virtually inconceivable that anyone who was where the gunman can clearly be seen on the media footage , could have survived the blast and escaped . The inevitable conclusion is that there was one attacker in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle in which Ms Bhutto was travelling . In essence , all the evidence indicates that one suspect has fired the shots before detonating an improvised explosive device . At the time of the attack this person was standing close to the rear of Ms Bhutto 's vehicle . The blast caused a violent collision between her head and the escape hatch area of the vehicle , causing a severe and fatal head injury . John MacBrayne QPM Detective Superintendent Counter Terrorism Command 1st February 2008 E-mail to a friend .
Scotland Yard releases report into assassination of Benazir Bhutto . - May 1 – The U.S. Senate passes the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) bill by a vote of 98-0. UK experts all exclude the injury being a wound as a result of gunshot . Injury consistent with her head impacting upon the lip of vehicle escape hatch .