ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani officials Thursday announced two more arrests in connection with the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
The arrests were the first apparent break in the case since last month, when police detained two suspects, including a teenage boy who told authorities he had been designated a backup suicide bomber.
The former prime minister was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack Dec. 27 as she left a campaign rally in Rawalpindi. The arrests announced Thursday were made there, which is the seat of the Pakistani military.
The authorities’ announcement coincided with the return of a three-member team of investigators from Scotland Yard, who are to disclose their findings in coming days.
Also on Thursday, Bhutto’s party held solemn ceremonies to mark the 40th day since her death, an anniversary that fell earlier this week.
Pakistani authorities have blamed militant Islamic leader Baitullah Mehsud for orchestrating Bhutto’s assassination, an assessment echoed by the CIA. Mehsud, who has denied involvement in the killing, announced Wednesday that his supporters had agreed to a cease-fire with government forces in tribal areas where fighting has raged in recent weeks.
Bhutto’s party said that with the end of the formal mourning period, its candidates would resume large-scale rallies between now and the parliamentary vote, despite security fears.
