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Israel puts blame on Iran, quoting 'reports'

Delhi car blast: Investigators look into possible role of terrorist outfits like JeM and LeT
Last Updated 14 February 2012, 20:16 IST

Contrary to the Union Home Ministry’s stand that it is too early to blame any country for the attack on an Israeli diplomat’s car on Monday, Israel Consul General has blamed Iran for the attack.

In a telephonic interview with Deccan Herald, Bangalore Orna Sagiv said from Mumbai: “...Reports suggest involvement of Iran in the attack and we have no doubt that they were involved.”

Although she alleged that the attack was planned by Iran, she refused to confirm if the mission had any prior intimation from the Israeli intelligence or their Indian counterpart.
A source from the Ministry of Home Affairs, speaking from Delhi said: “...Both our agencies have a good co-operation. If either one of us had the intelligence, we would have had more information.”

Incidentally, the Indian intelligence agency, which has come under criticism over several attacks in the national capital last year is under-staffed. As on August 2011, the Indian Intelligence Bureau had 9,443 posts lying vacant and the majority of them are still vacant.

While India is maintaining that “we do not have enough evidence to name any country,” Israeli investigators and security experts in Delhi, in line with Sagiv’s remarks are comparing the design,  timer, strap, size and content of the device used in the Tiblis explosion with the bomb used in Delhi. 

“...If they are comparable then hands of Iranian Shia militant groups like Hezbollah could be ascertained,” a source familiar with the investigation said. Hezbollah, the Muslim militant group and political party based in Lebanon came into prominence after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

Also, the profile of the fully helmeted  motorcyclist, particularly the frame, is being studied keenly to work out his possible nationality.

“Israeli and Americans have lot of information on these terror-outfits and they are in best position to get the trail”, sources from Indian agencies said.

While images of the apparent motorcyclist who placed the bomb on the car is registered in the CCTV cameras, investigators are looking at the possible involvement of a “second person” who could have set off the bomb which comprised “unique combustible material.”
The diplomat’s car was on fire “for a long time” and barring the metal parts everything burnt down completely, sources close to investigators told Deccan Herald.

“After the wind-screen of the car collapsed, material used to make the bomb continued burning for some more time, indicating that highly inflammable material was used in the bomb which is unique to us (India),” sources added. The steering wheel also kept burning. The fact that the magnetic bomb exploded within seconds indicates “some miscalculation” on the part of the plotter and gives rise to a possibility that “another man” triggered the bomb.

One more line of investigation by the Israeli and Indian investigators are probing whether Jaish-e-Mohammad or Lashker-e-Toiba had hand in the Monday’s terror strike –both are inimical to Israel.

Stressing on the fact that Israel has placed complete faith in the local administration in both finding the attackers and also providing safety, Sagiv said: “We have been giving full ‘co-operation’ to the local investigating agencies.” She, however, did not confirm if any of the Israel’s agencies had reached New Delhi.

Deccan Herald’s attempts to contact the Iranian consulate general failed. Interestingly, sources pointed out that an Iranian scientist was killed using the same modus operandi––a biker planting a magnetic bomb on  his car––sometime last month.

The Iranian consulate in Delhi said that Rehaimajd, their spokesperson could only be contacted on Wednesday.
DH News Service (with inputs from Sandeep Moudgal in Bangalore)

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(Published 14 February 2012, 20:16 IST)

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