Arizona shooting victim opens her eyes

The US President has said congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has opened her eyes for the first time since being shot in the head.

Barack Obama was speaking at a memorial service to remember the victims of a shooting in Tucson which left six people dead, including a nine-year-old girl.

As he delivered the news, there were roars of approval from the crowd of around 14,000 people inside a University of Arizona area.

Speaking about a visit to Giffords in hospital and shortly after he and wife Michelle arrived: "Gabby opened her eyes, so I can tell you she knows we are here, she knows we love her and she knows that we are rooting for her through what is undoubtedly going to be a difficult journey."

In his speech Obama also urged Americans not to let a political debate over the tragedy be used as "one more occasion to turn on one another."

He warned against seeking "simple explanations" and cautioned US citizens not to place blame.

"None of us can know with any certainty what might have stopped those shots from being fired, or what thoughts lurked in the inner recesses of a violent man's mind," Obama said.

University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato said Obama achieved his goal.

"He did exactly what he was supposed to do. He stayed out of partisan politics and kept the focus on the victims and the families," he said.

Jared Lee Loughner, 22, has been charged with firing at Giffords and others gathered in a Tucson shopping center parking lot last Saturday where the 40-year-old Democrat Giffords was hosting a meet-and-greet for constituents.

Six people died and among those killed were a federal judge and an aide of Giffords.

The shooting rampage has fueled a debate about whether the heated partisan rhetoric featured in recent US political campaigns can lead to violence. Politicians in both parties have suggested cooling the tone of discourse in Washington.

Prominent Republican Sarah Palin defended her fiery rhetoric Wednesday but ignited a fresh controversy by accusing critics of "blood libel" in linking her to the shooting spree.

Palin has been a focus of criticism from the left since the shootings for urging followers to "reload," not retreat, after the healthcare debate and publishing an electoral map identifying vulnerable Democratic congressional districts, including Giffords', with rifle cross-hairs.