Death threats against Sarah Palin at 'unprecedented level': Aide

Washington, Jan 13(ANI): Death and security threats to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin have increased to an unprecedented level since the attack on US Representative Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona, a close aide has said.

Giffords, and 18 others were shot on January 8 when a gunman opened fire outside a supermarket where she was meeting with her constituents.

Several political leaders in the country have claimed that Palin's depiction of controversial crosshairs symbols on her Facebook page ahead of the mid-term polls last year led to the attack, ABC News reports.

Giffords, who is in critical condition after being shot in Tucson, was targeted by Palin when she posted on her Facebook page a U.S. map with crosshairs of a rifle scope over the districts represented by Giffords and 19 other Democrats.

Crosshairs is a political phrase that emerged from Palin's political action committee SarahPac that targeted congressional districts for the Tea Party campaign in the last election, including Giffords' district.

Giffords, who represents Arizona's Eighth District in the south-eastern corner of the state, has been an outspoken critic of Arizona's tough immigration law, which is focused on identifying, prosecuting and deporting illegal immigrants.

She had also come under criticism for her vote in favour of the Democrats' health care law. (ANI)