Jemima in masked raid terror

Jemima Khan feared she was to be the victim of a rapist or Islamic extremist when a knifeman broke into her London home.

Friends of the wife of former Pakistan Test cricketer Imran Khan said she feared the masked intruder - who apparently had a key and knew his way around their heavily-protected Fulham mews house - may have been trying to intimidate her because of her husband's political activities.

She barricaded herself in a bedroom with her children, three-year-old Kasim and five-year-old Sulaiman, during the ordeal in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The 28-year-old is convinced the raid was not the work of an opportunist burglar. She was woken by the sounds of a furious struggle as the man wrestled with a family bodyguard. After gathering her children, the three huddled together as she made an emergency phone call to police.

The intruder fled after the break-in. It left the guard with cuts to the hand and Jemima and her children terrified.

After being told in Pakistan of the incident, her husband - who leads the Movement for Justice party - embarked on a week-long political tour of the country. Friends today insisted that Jemima was now "shaken but fine", and in no need of his help. One told the Evening Standard: "Jemima heard the two men fighting, after a personal security alarm that the bodyguard had was set off.

"She called 999 straightaway. It was very frightening, but she has not been freaked out by it and she is happy to continue living in the house. She doesn't want to make a big deal out of it."

The intruder managed to evade the extensive security at the £1.5 million house, which includes two heavy wooden gates and a sophisticated door- entry system equipped with CCTV.

During the struggle the bodyguard managed to use a portable panic button to set off an alarm, which alerted the rest of the house and neighbours. After the man escaped, staff rushed to check that Jemima had not been hurt.

Neighbour Paul Daley, 38, told how he was woken by the sound of pandemonium coming from the house. "I heard all the screaming and shouting in the street," he said. "There were men and women screaming and it sounded like a heck of a struggle."

Today detectives from Fulham CID were hunting the intruder, described only as being white. Initial inquiries suggest it was a botched burglary, although police may also examine whether it could have been an attempted kidnap or even assassination.

Because of their wealth, and the political activities of her husband, the family live under close security. Jemima bought the house two years ago to allow her to divide her time between London and Pakistan, where she supports her husband in his political and charity work.

Security at the house is now likely to be reviewed. A Scotland Yard spokesman said today: "It's believed that a white male gained entry to the house and was intercepted by a security guard before getting away.

"The guard suffered a minor scratch. A woman and two children were asleep at the time. We do not believe anything was taken."