Thousands of mourners in Islamabad attend funeral for Pakistani cleric gunned down in broad daylight
ABC News
Thousands of mourners have attended a funeral for a Pakistani Sunni Muslim cleric gunned down in broad daylight on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad
ISLAMABAD -- Thousands of mourners attended a funeral Saturday for a Pakistani Sunni Muslim cleric gunned down in broad daylight on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad, police and and a spokesman for the cleric's organization said.
The funeral of Masoodur Rehman Usmani was held a day after unidentified gunmen shot and killed him and wounded his driver in the neighborhood of Ghauri town, according to a statement issued by the Islamabad police.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack, which is a rare occurrence near Islamabad. Police said they were using closed-circuit TV footage to track down the attackers, and vowed that they would be arrested and brought to justice.
Authorities in Islamabad have stepped up security by deploying additional police and some embassies were advising their nationals to avoid visiting the area where the funeral for Usmani was to be held.
Usmani was a deputy secretary at his Sunni Ulema Council, which emerged after Pakistan outlawed the Sipah-e-Sahaba extremist group, which has been accused of killing thousands of Shiites in recent decades across the country.
