Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday called a deadly car explosion in the heart of the capital a “conspiracy,” vowing those responsible will face justice, while in a separate attack in Islamabad, a suicide bombing outside district court buildings killed at least 12 people and wounded 27 others.
Indian Police have yet to give exact details of what caused Monday’s incident near the historic Red Fort, one of India’s most well-known landmarks, and the site of the prime minister’s annual Independence Day speech.
The blast killed at least eight people, and 19 others were injured when flames ripped through several vehicles.
Photo: Reuters
It was the first significant security incident since a shooting attack in late April that left 26 mainly Hindu civilians dead at the tourist site of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, triggering clashes with Pakistan.
“I assure everyone that the agencies will get to the bottom of the entire conspiracy,” Modi said, in a speech during a state visit to neighboring Bhutan, without giving further details. “All those involved will be brought to justice.”
Indian authorities have stepped short of calling the blast an attack, saying they were awaiting forensic analysis.
Photo: Reuters
However, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs said that the National Investigation Agency are leading the probe.
The explosion on Monday came hours after Indian police said they had arrested a gang and seized explosive materials and assault rifles.
Police said the men were linked with Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based radical Muslim group, and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, a Kashmir offshoot of al-Qaeda.
The Press Trust of India news agency yesterday reported that the death toll had risen to 12, although that figure had not been confirmed.
Witnesses described how the car exploded in traffic and how people caught up in the surge of flames were set on fire.
“People were on fire and we tried to save them... Cars and people were burning — people inside the cars were burning,” Dharmindra Dhaga, 27, said.
“I was telling the public to save them, rescue them, and get them out. The public was busy making videos and taking photos,” he said.
In Islamabad, tThe first such attack to hit the city in years sent people fleeing in panic, leaving shattered glass and charred vehicles on the road.
“A suicide attack was carried out,” Pakistani Minister of Interior Mohsin Naqvi told journalists. “So far 12 people have been martyred and around 27 are wounded.”
Paramilitary troops cordoned off the area where the minister said the assailant detonated explosives near a police vehicle.
“We are trying to identify who he [the attacker] is and where he came from,” Naqvi said after the blast, which struck an area that also houses several government offices.
The Pakistani Taliban militant group later claimed the attack, saying in a statement they had targeted judicial officials.
“Our fighter attacked the judicial commission in Islamabad. Judges, lawyers and officials who carried out rulings under Pakistan’s un-Islamic laws were targeted,” the group said, threatening to carry out more attacks “until Islamic Shariah law is implemented.”
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