An obscure Kashmiri militant group claimed responsibility yesterday for bomb blasts in India's capital which killed at least 59 people, but analysts said it was probably a front for a larger Pakistan-based group.
New Delhi has so far refused to blame anyone for Saturday's trio of blasts, but security experts see the hand of Lashkar-e-Taiba (Force of the Pure) behind the attacks, in an attempt to derail the peace process between India and Pakistan.
The explosions took place within half an hour in markets packed with shoppers just days before major Hindu and Muslim festivals. Many of the victims were women and children.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blamed terrorists, but said it was too early to say who was behind the attacks.
Yesterday, the Islami Inqilabi Mahaz (Islamic Revolutionary Group), telephoned local newspapers in Indian Kashmir to claim responsibility for the blasts and warned of more to come.
"This is a Pakistani group and is a front organization of Lashkar," said Ajai Sahni of New Delhi's Institute for Conflict Management. These front organizations are often used to muddy the waters and deflect blame from their parent groups, especially when civilian casualties are high, he said.
"One way or the other, Lashkar is behind it," he added.
Rohan Gunaratna, a Singapore-based expert on terrorism, agreed the blasts were almost certainly carried out by groups from the subcontinent but inspired by the methods of al-Qaeda.
"It is very likely the attacks were meant to affect the peace process between Pakistan and India," he said.
Meanwhile, investigators detained more than 20 people in raids on dozens of small hotels across the Indian capital yesterday as they hunted for suspects in the bombings.
Police declared a state of emergency and closed all city markets after the Saturday evening blasts.
Police said they were looking for a man in his 20s who refused to buy a ticket on a bus and got off in the Govindpuri neighborhood, leaving behind a large black bag. When some of the 40 passengers raised an alarm, the driver and bus conductor examined it and threw it out just as the blast occurred, injuring them both.
Police also announced a reward of 100,000 rupees (US$2,200) for clues to trace the bombers.
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