A Pakistani Taliban leader has claimed responsibility for an attack on a US immigration in which 13 people were killed. A man armed with two handguns killed 13 people at an immigration services centre in Binghamton, New York state, on Saturday before apparently turning the gun on himself.

Militant leader Baituallah Mehsud said: "I accept resonsibility. They were my men. I gave them orders in reaction to U.S. drone attacks."

There was no immediate response from the US authorities on the truth of the claim.

Local congressman Maurice Hinchey earlier said the gunman was an immigrant from Vietnam who had recently been let go from IBM.

The killer barricaded himself inside a branch of the American Civic Association in Binghamton, about 150 miles north west of New York City, while a group of immigrants were taking a citizenship class.

Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said the gunman parked his car against the back door of the centre, "making sure nobody could escape", then stormed through the front, shooting two receptionists apparently without a word.

He then entered a room just off the reception area and fired on the citizenship class, killing 13 and wounding many more.

One receptionist was killed, while the other, who was shot in the stomach, pretended to be dead, then crawled under a desk and called authorities, he said. The rest of those killed were shot in the classroom.

The man believed to have carried out the attack was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office, a satchel containing ammunition slung around his neck,authorities said. Police found two handguns as well as a hunting knife.

Thirty-seven people in all were rescued from the building, including 26 who hid in the boiler room for three hours while police searched the building and tried to determine whether the gunman was still alive and holding hostages.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090404/twl-pakistani-militant-claims-u...