Gunmen attacked Sri Lanka's cricket team this morning in the Pakistani city of Lahore, killing eight people and injuring seven members of the squad.
Lahore's police chief Habib-ur Rehman said up to 12 gunmen ambushed the team's convoy close to the Gaddafi stadium with rockets, hand grenades and automatic weapons, unleashing a fierce gun battle with security forces.
The gunmen fled after the ambush, triggering a giant manhunt.
Five people have been detained for questioning about the attack.
Sri Lanka's captain Mahela Jayawardene said ‘The bus came under attack as we were driving to the stadium. The gunmen targeted the wheels of the bus first, and then the bus. We all dived to the floor to take cover.’
The attackers fired a rocket which missed the bus, then threw grenades underneath which failed to explode.
A police official said two civilians and six policemen guarding the players were killed in the attack as the team was heading for the third day's play in the second Test against Pakistan.
A Pakistani cricket umpire underwent surgery after being injured in the attack.
Sri Lanka said it was rushing its foreign minister to Pakistan in the wake of the assault, which Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse called a ‘cowardly terrorist attack.’
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also strongly condemned the ‘terrorist’ attack and ordered an inquiry.
Two air force helicopters evacuated the Sri Lankan team from the stadium to Lahore airport, from where they were to be flown home late today.
Experts defused two car bombs and recovered grenades, 3kg of explosives, a pistol and a detonating cable.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility although fears of an attack by Islamic militants linked to Al-Qaeda have caused many cricket teams to cancel tours to Pakistan in recent years.
Pakistani officials said the attack bore all the hallmarks of the November 2008 assault on the Indian city of Mumbai, which was blamed on Pakistan-based Islamic militants.
