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Danish security officer missing in Marriott bombing

Mon Sep 22, 2008 12:22am IST
 
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COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A Danish national missing after the bomb attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad is a member of the Danish security service and attached to the embassy in Pakistan's capital, the agency said on Sunday.

A suicide truck bomber struck at the hotel on Saturday, killing at least 53 people, wounding more than 260 and starting a fire that swept through the building.

Two Americans, one Vietnamese citizen and the Czech ambassador were among the confirmed dead.

The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said in a statement they believe their employee, a security advisor to the Danish mission, was among those killed, but were awaiting conclusive identification.

PET said it was "waiting for certain identification," and added it was in close contact with the man's family.

The Danish Foreign Ministry said on Sunday four Danes had been at the hotel when it was attacked. A female diplomat was lightly wounded but released from hospital on Saturday. Two others were unharmed.

Intelligence officials suspect the attack could have been the work of al Qaeda.

PET said it currently has a second agent stationed in Islamabad who is cooperating with local authorities in the investigation of the suicide attack on Denmark's embassy in the Pakistani capital in June that killed six and injured 20.

Al Qaeda in June said it was behind that attack and called the act revenge for the 2005 publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a Danish newspaper.

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