Israeli diplomat case: probe makes no headway after a year

 A year after the vehicle of an Israeli diplomat was bombed by a suspected Iranian, the probe in the case has hit a roadblock following alleged non-cooperation by authorities in Tehran in executing warrants against four of its nationals.

The incident was the first of its kind in the history of terror in India as the country was used as a ground for targeting a foreign national by a suspected terror group of another country.

However, after arresting Syed Mohammed Ahmed Kazmi, an Urdu journalist, for allegedly being a part of larger conspiracy in the bombing incident, the probe could not make a headway as the suspected main bomber Houshang Afshar, an Iranian national flew into the Iranian attack from Malaysia.

Delhi Police has filed two chargesheets in the case which names four Iranian nationals and Kazmi, who was granted bail by Supreme Court in October last year after having been arrested in March, 2012.

But sources in the Home Ministry feel that it would be difficult to pursue the case against the scribe in the absence of any cooperation including handing over of its nationals by Iran.

Delhi Police has named Afshar as the main accused who had planted a bomb on the vehicle of Israeli diplomat Tal Yeshua on February 13 last year that left the diplomat injured. The bombing took place barely 500 metres from the high-security residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In the first chargesheet, Delhi Police had named Kazmi, Afshar, Masoud Sedaghatzadeh, Saeid Moradi and Mohammad Kharzei for allegedly hatching conspiracy and executing the terror attack and the second chargesheet details use of a scooter for recce, motorcycle on the day of incident and some call details.

Delhi Police had sent a two-member team to Iran last year and the passport details and other evidence alleging the role of its nationals in the bombing were handed over to authorities there.

New Delhi also handed over the probe report by Malaysian authorities, according to which Afshar, after fleeing from India on February 13 last year had taken a connecting flight to Tehran from Kaula Lumpur airport on the next day, sources said.

India has secured an Interpol Red Corner warrant against all the four and it was also issued.

The phone book of Masoud Sedaghatzadeh, who was arrested by Malaysian police from Kuala Lumpur airport, led to the arrest of Kazmi.

A Letters Rogatory has been sent to authorities in Thailand for sharing the interrogation reports of two Iranian nationals -- Saeid Moradi and Mohammad Kharzei (both part of botched up plan in Bangkok) -- as one of them was part of the Indian operations as well and had visited New Delhi last year, the sources said.

The explosive used for the bombing here was TNT -- Trinitrotoluene--the Central Forensic Sciences (CFSL) had said in its report two months after the attack.

According to the sources, evidence collected so far which includes a statement of Kazmi to Delhi Police and a plan that a spate of attacks were planned in New Delhi, Bangkok and Georgia was to take revenge for attacks on Iranian scientists since 2009.
Four Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in attacks since 2009.