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JERUSALEM-In analyzing today's assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, Israeli security officials here questioned the competence of her security detail and state-provided protection.The security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they noticed a trend from news footage in which officers and guards protecting Bhutto and her convoy routinely would allow civilians to approach the opposition leader, including many times at unsecured events and rallies."Bhutto should have had maximum protection given the large volume of serious threats against her life," said one security official. "It's gross negligence, to say the least, the way her security was provided."The security officials stressed they were offering their professional opinions but were not speaking in an official capacity or as part of any Israeli government probe into the Bhutto assassination.Bhutto was protected by private guards and also by state-provided authorities, particularly during mass public events, such as today's election rally in which a gunman reportedly shot the opposition leader dead before detonating explosives, killing at least 15 in the suicide blast.Bhutto several times publicly criticized Pakistan for providing her with insufficient security.Speaking after today's assassination, Rehman Malik, Bhutto's security advisor, said: "We repeatedly informed the government to provide her proper security and appropriate equipment including jammers, but they paid no heed to our requests."The Israeli security officials speaking to WND would not speculate on who killed Bhutto, only stating there were "many" suspects.They pointed to numerous media reports outlining Bhutto's enemies and the multiple death threats against her, some reportedly originating with al-Qaida.Western media analysts and reporters pointed fingers at everyone from Pakistani warlords to al-Qaida to Pakistani intelligence to the country's president, Parvez Musharraf.Bhutto narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in October, when a suicide bomber struck at a rally in Karachi to welcome her back from exile. She hinted Pakistani authorities may have been complicit in the bombing and told reporters she received a letter immediately after the bombing, signed by someone claiming to be a friend of al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, threatening to slaughter her like a goat.U.S. officials are looking into a report that al-Qaida's main spokesman has claimed responsibility for Bhutto's death."We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat (the) mujahadeen," Mustafa Abu Al-Yazid told Adnkronos International in a phone call from an unknown location.Al-Yazid is the main al-Qaida commander in Afghanistan. The decision to assassinate Bhutto is believed to have been made by al-Qaida's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, according to the news agency.As in the days of Noah....
