Spanish cyclist disputes govt claim on death of levies in Pak

Spanish cyclist Federico Javier Colorado Soriano, who narrowly escaped an attack in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, has disputed the claim that he was cycling through the area, escorted by levies personnel, when he came under assault that left six security men dead.
The cyclist, who spoke to Spanish newspaper 'La Vanguardia' in New Delhi, recalled the events in Mustung and claimed he never cycled through the area as reported earlier and was not responsible for destroying six families.
Speaking about his experiences, he told the paper that he was waiting at a check post just 300 meters behind a bus carrying pilgrims, which was attacked by with a suicide bomb.

The newspaper has uploaded the video which captures the blast at a distance. The video also captures the staccato gunfire that began after the blast.
The explosion on January 21 had killed at least 30 Shia pilgrims coming in from Iran and left over 50 injured.
The cyclist said that ever since he crossed the Iran- Pakistan border, he was escorted by various members of the security forces who always transported him in their vehicles, Express Tribune, which first reported on the interview, said.

The little over 11 minute video shows him in multiple trucks of security personnel. He is seen cycling only in compounds and for briefly on the road.

However, he disputed the number of security personnel that he was being escorted by at the time of the attack.
"Just after crossing into Pakistan from Iran, I was awarded two escorts, the Balochistan levies."
Following the attack on bus on January 21, he was held in a police station overnight for safety and allowed to travel the following morning.
Even after the explosion, Colorado was loaded into a van with only one gunman and a driver, with no following vehicle, the report said.
The video shows him passing by the mangled remains of the bus. A little after they passed the destroyed bus on the Mastung highway, Colorado's vehicle came under a bomb and gun attack in which he was injured just above his left temple.

He said the driver sped away.
The video shows him lying on floor of the truck, pressing left temple which was bleeding as a shrapnel had hit him.
He adds that contrary to the official version in which the deaths of six and injuries to three levies personnel is claimed, none of the two men accompanying him were injured.
However, later at the hospital in Quetta, one of the guards accompanying Colorado tells an attendant in Urdu that they had just escaped a blast and that four to five levies personnel had been killed, while at least three others were injured, Tribune reported.

It was earlier officially claimed that the six security personnel had died while preventing an abduction attempt as the Spanish man cycled through the area under heavy security.
This had led to many criticizing him on the social media for destroying six families. The Spanish government too had thanked Pakistan for protecting its citizen. Queries sent to the Spanish Embassy here remained unanswered.