Shot US politician is ready for rehab

Shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is to be moved from hospital to a rehabilitation centre, possibly as soon as tomorrow, her family said today.

Less than two weeks after surviving a bullet through the brain, Miss Giffords, 40, stood up and looked out of the window of her hospital room, said a spokeswoman for University Medical Centre in Tucson.

Janet Stark said she was able to stand with help from medical staff and will now begin an arduous programme of intensive mental and physical rehabilitation.

She will have to relearn how to think and plan. It is unclear if she can speak or how well she can see. She is moving both arms and legs but it is uncertain how much strength she has on her right side. Miss Giffords will be taken to a hospital in Houston, where her husband Mark Kelly lives and works as an astronaut.

"I am extremely hopeful at the signs of recovery that my wife has made since the shooting," Mr Kelly said in a statement.

Dr John Holcomb, a trauma surgeon at the Houston hospital, praised the care she received in Tucson and said she would "move quickly toward a tailored and comprehensive rehab plan".

A federal grand jury yesterday indicted Jared Loughner, accusing him of attempting to assassinate Miss Giffords while she met constituents outside a Safeway's supermarket on January 8 and trying to kill two of her aides. Loughner, 22, is also accused of shooting 18 other people, killing six.