2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team

[11] According to the officials, 12 gunmen were hiding near Liberty Square, in the centre of Lahore, waiting for the Sri Lankan team to pass on their way to the Gaddafi stadium.

[17] Simon Taufel, Steve Davis, Nadeem Ghauri, Ahsan Raza, umpires performance manager Peter Manuel, liaison officer Abdul Sami and ICC match referee Chris Broad were in this minivan.

Chris Broad threw himself over and kept his hand on the chest of Ahsan Raza to slow down the profuse bleeding from a bullet injury.

Security cameras captured footage of several gunmen carrying automatic weapons and backpacks, firing on the convoy from the Liberty Square roundabout.

Several team members sustained minor wounds, including:[5]Six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed in the attack.

[4] Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said on 4 March that he could not rule out involvement of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Lahore attacks.

[39] On 6 March 2009, government officials had ruled out the involvement of Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing and LTTE and were zeroing in on Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Statements by Australian umpire Simon Taufel, match referee Chris Broad, and spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, referencing this delay sparked conspiracy theories that the militants were acting on inside information.

[46][47] by Intelligence agencies[48] The Chief Minister of Punjab had also tipped off the authorities about a possible threat to the Sri Lankan team a month before.

[49] On 5 March, Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, said the individuals responsible for the attack had been identified, but would not be revealed until the investigation was complete.

[52] Police also arrested Shahzad Babar of Rahim Yar Khan after a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card registered in his name was used in the attack along with eight others.

[53] Security officials in Pakistan told The Times that most of the two dozen people arrested in connection with the attacks belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, outlawed militant groups with close links to Al-Qaeda.

[56] Pakistan – The attack was condemned by the Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari and prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.

[60] Pakistani officials also blamed India of covert involvement, citing long-standing enmity between the two South Asian countries.

[62] Chief Minister of Punjab (Pakistan) Shehbaz Sharif criticised the current government and said that he had already tipped authorities of a possible attack beforehand.

"[64] The Daily Jang, responding on Chris Broad, Simon Taufel and Steve Davis's comments, said that their "vivid description of the terrifying attack gives us an insight into how people everywhere will see the events of the morning of March 3."

Then-captain of the Sri Lanka cricket team Mahela Jayawardene praised Khalil saying he owed his life to the driver.

[69] United Nations – Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attacks according to UN spokesman Marie Okabe.

She also added that "Any attack targeting civilians, in this case athletes, is despicable and unjustifiable, and we urge authorities in Pakistan to do all in their power to find the culprits and bring them to justice.

"[70] The International Cricket Council – Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: We note with dismay and regret the events of this morning in Lahore and we condemn this attack without reservation.

Australia – Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also condemned the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, calling it "shameful and cowardly".

[74] He demanded answers from Pakistan after claims that police left Australians travelling with Sri Lanka's cricket team in the lurch as the bus was attacked.

"[75] Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the attack demonstrates that there is a persistent threat to Pakistan's very existence and showed the need for a tougher war against extremists.

[76] China – Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said that the Chinese government expressed deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the wounded.

[77] France – French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs expressed solidarity with the Pakistani people and authorities at this "testing time".

[78] India – Home Minister P. Chidambaram expressed shock over the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan: "We condemn the incident.

"[99] Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss backed the comments made by Simon Taufel, Chris Broad and Steve Davis criticising the security.

[104] Closed-circuit television footage of the event reported by Geo TV showed four of the attackers walking or jogging away unchallenged from the site, into a marketplace while no policemen are seen.

[111] The elections were slated to be held between 16 April and 13 May and it was impossible to reschedule them while IPL organizers appeared to be unwilling to postpone the tournament.

"[35] In October 2017, the Sri Lankan cricket team returned to Pakistan for the first time since the attack to play a Twenty20 International match at the Gaddafi Stadium.