ISLAMABAD – Top wanted terrorist alleged to have been part of the cell thatmurdered former prime minister Benazir Bhutto has appeared in a Talibanvideo denying his involvement, reported *BBC.link>*

Ikramullah is believed to have been a back-up suicide bomber, who was meantto detonate his explosive vest if the first attacker did not succeed.

But officials say he walked away after the other bomber blew himself up,killing Ms Bhutto and at least 20 others at a rally in Rawalpindi in 2007.

A senior Bhutto aide said he was lying.

In his first public statement on the case, Ikramullah appears in a videoproduced by a splinter group of the Pakistani Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) whichwas obtained by the BBC. It is believed to have been filmed in easternAfghanistan, where the militants are based.

Described as a “senior figure” in his group, Ikramullah repeatedly statesin the video he was neither “involved” nor “aware of” the plot to killBhutto. He is on a Pakistani list of most-wanted terror suspects and hasbeen named in court as the second suicide bomber.

Senator Rehman Malik, a former interior minister who was a close friend ofBhutto’s, told the BBC that he believed Ikramullah was “totally lying”, andthat other suspects had named him in court as the second bomber.

A source with knowledge of Pakistani militant groups told the English newschannel that until recently Ikramullah was openly and proudly claiming hisinvolvement. But last year he was attacked by other rival Islamists inAfghanistan, and his family received threats from the Pakistani securityservices.

As a result, it is believed, he was advised by his group’s leaders to makea video denying his involvement. The source told the BBC: “The whole of thePakistani Taliban and even young children from the tribal areas know he wasinvolved.”

Bhutto was elected as prime minister in 1988 and 1993. After a period inexile, she returned to Pakistan in 2007 to campaign for elections.

She survived an assassination attempt in October 2007 when suicide bomberstargeted a parade welcoming her at Karachi airport. More than 150 peopledied.

Bhutto was killed two months later at a rally in Rawalpindi. Five allegedmilitants charged with involvement in the plot were last year acquitted,but remain in detention pending an appeal.

The leader of the Pakistani Taliban at the time, Baitullah Mehsud – whodied in US strike in 2009 – denied that the group was responsible. However,many have speculated that this was prompted by the public backlash theattack received.

Pakistani intelligence officials said they had intercepted a phoneconversation in which Baitullah Mehsud was told by an unnamed cleric thatthe attackers were “our men” and included Ikramullah, who was then about 16years old.