New Delhi: After an Israeli diplomat's car exploded in New Delhi, just a few feet from the Prime Minister's residence, Indian investigators are trying to connect the dots of the terror attack. The bomb was planted on the car by a man on a motorcycle when the SUV paused at a traffic signal. Here are 10 big developments in the case:
1) The Delhi police have recovered pieces of magnetic devices and explosives used in the car and are now on the lookout for an abandoned red bike."The bomb used yesterday could not be bigger than a palm top," said Delhi Police Commissioner B K Gupta. Five people were detained in connection with the attack, but were later left off.
2) Sources say that investigations are focusing on Iranian residents in India following the premise that the execution of the attack was "outsourced." Officials in the Home Ministry said, "Who planned and who did it will be known only after investigations are over. At this stage it is premature to name any country."
3) Israel is firm in its belief that Iran is to blame. The Israeli ambassador told NDTV, "Iran has been openly calling for the destruction of Israel. This was planned in Tehran." Iranian officials have described reports of its alleged role as propaganda.
4) According to news agency IANS, the Israeli diplomat's wife who was seriously injured in the attacks, has told Israeli media that she remembers "seeing the motorcyclist who apparently threw something in the direction of the car." The Israeli who was injured, Tal Yehoshua-Koren, was operated upon this morning. Doctors say she is partially paralysed.
5) Home Minister P Chidambaram shared some details of the attack this morning. "It appears that a motorcycle rider, a single person, came from behind. We think the explosion took place within 4-5 seconds of the device being attached (to the car). We think it's likely that a very well-trained person planted the device. We think the target was the Israeli diplomat's wife and therefore we have to assume this was a terror attack. CCTV footage is being scanned but so far, there is no single clear image of the motorcycle license plate or the rider. At this moment, we are not pointing a finger at any group."
6) For India, the fact that the explosion took place so close to the Prime Minister's house in a high-security zone is a major concern. The incident is being treated as a serious security lapse. Police officers are raiding guesthouses and small hotels in areas like Paharganj, frequented by backpackers, to find suspects.
7) CCTV footage from security cameras belonging to the large houses in this expensive part of Delhi is being scanned.
8) The car - a Toyota Innova - was destroyed in the blast. Members of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have examined the mangled remains of the car and collected samples of the explosives found. RDX was reportedly not used.
9) Iran has blamed Israel for the assassinations of a series of its nuclear scientists in recent months. In those cases, like in Delhi, a magnetic object was attached to vehicles before they exploded. Israel, along with countries like the US, has been opposed to Iran's nuclear programme.
10) Another bomb was found yesterday attached to the car of the Israeli embassy in Georgia, but it was defused by the police. NDTV
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