Low-intensity blast near Israel Embassy in Delhi
A minor bomb went off near the Embassy of Israel on Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Road in New Delhi on Friday evening, shattering the windscreens of three cars on the road, police said.
No one was injured in the explosion, which took place on the 29th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Israel.
The bomb appeared to have been planted in a flower pot on the road divider, police said. A letter in an envelope addressed “to Israel Embassy ambassador” has been found at the spot, police sources said.
The letter contains a threat, and describes the explosion as a “trailer”, the sources said. It also refers to two “Iranian martyrs”, Qasem Soleimani and Dr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the sources said.
Maj Gen Soleimani, who was assassinated in a United States drone strike in January 2020, was Iran’s most powerful general, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated in November last year, was Iran’s top nuclear scientist. Tehran believes he was killed by Israel using a remote-control weapon.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke to his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi soon after the incident and assured him of “fullest protection” to Israel’s mission and its diplomats in India.
Jaishankar said India was taking the incident “very seriously”.
“Spoke just now to Israeli FM Gabi Ashkenazi about the explosion outside the Israeli Embassy. We take this very seriously. Assured him of the fullest protection for the Embassy and Israeli diplomats,” the Minister posted on Twitter. “Matter is under investigation and no effort will be spared to find the culprits,” he said.
On his part, Ashkenazi tweeted: “The Indian FM assured me that the Indian authorities are committed to the security of all Israeli diplomatic staff and will continue to act resolutely to locate all those involved in the explosion. I thanked him and promised full cooperation and any help required from Israel.”
The Delhi Police’s special cell team on Saturday obtained a CCTV footage of the spot near the Israel Embassy where an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast took place on Friday evening, sources told news agency ANI. The footage showed a cab dropping off two people who walked towards the embassy. Attempts are on to identify the cab driver and sketches are being made. A high alert has been sounded in cities such as Jaipur and Mumbai with security tightened in sensitive areas in wake of this incident in the national Capital.
Source-The IndianExpress
