US shootout: FBI rejects Pak Taliban's claims

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: The FBI on Saturday firmly denied Pakistani Taliban's role in a shooting incident at an immigration services office in New York which claimed 14 lives, Times Now reported quoting news agency Reuters.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud had claimed responsibility for the shooting incident.

The Pakistani Taliban commander claimed the attack was launched by a Pakistani man and another unidentified man.

"I accept responsibility. They were my men. I gave them orders in reaction to US drone attacks," Mehsud said by telephone from an undisclosed location.

The chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan warned that "such attacks would continue" to avenge missile strikes by US drones in tribal areas and "brutalities in Palestine."

Mehsud also pointed out that he had said a few days ago that his militants would carry out attacks on American soil.

The claim by the Pakistani Taliban commander came hours after a US drone attack in North Waziristan tribal agency killed 13 people, including women and children.

Authorities in New York said a man armed with two handguns killed 13 people at an immigration services centre before turning the gun on himself. The gunman was believed to be of Vietnamese-origin.

Mehsud had recently claimed responsibility for the terrorist siege of a police training centre at Manawan near Lahore that killed eight persons and injured over 90 as well as for two recent suicide attacks.