New Delhi: A day after a car bomb attack injured four people including an Israeli woman diplomat in the heart of Delhi, the police have started scouring for possible leads from CCTV footage from a residence near the blast site. The Delhi Police is also conducting raids on guest houses and hotels across the city where foreigners usually put up and are checking their documents.
Officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) also surveyed the blast spot today as also the damaged vehicle which, initial investigations show, was blown up by a remote controlled device.
Meanwhile, a probe team from the Israeli Defence Forces will be arriving in the capital to aid in the investigations.
Israel has passed on information to India about the two suspects who are currently in custody of the Georgian police over the foiled attack on a local employee at the Israeli embassy yesterday.
The police have quoted eyewitnesses as saying that a motorcyclist had stuck what seemed like a magnetic device on the rear of the Israeli Embassy car near the Aurangzeb Road crossing. The car exploded minutes after and was up in flames. (Eyewitness account) | (See: Pics of car explosion)
Sources say a remote control and not a timer seems to have been used to trigger the explosion. Four people were injured - the driver of the Toyota Innova car and two other people driving by in an Indica had minor injuries.
The Israeli diplomat, Tal Yeshova's injuries were more serious and she was operated upon at the Primus Hospital last night. Dr Arun Bhanot, the spinal surgeon who performed the surgery, said Ms Yeshova had multiple shrapnel injuries in the liver, lungs and spinal cord. A big piece of shrapnel in the spinal cord had been removed, he said. Other pieces will be removed later.
A team of 10 doctors operated upon Ms Yeshova; the surgery took three hours.
Her condition has been described as critical, but stable and she is under observation. Ms Yeshova was on her way to pick up her children from the American School when the explosion took place at 3.20 pm yesterday. She works at the Israeli Embassy and her husband is a diplomat too.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Iran and the militant group Hezbollah for the attack. In a statement yesterday, he linked the attack in Delhi to a bomb being found in the car of a staff member at the Israeli Embassy in Georgia yesterday and accused Tehran of being the "world's largest terror exporter". The bomb found in the car in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi was defused by local police.
"We witnessed today two attempted attacks on innocent civilians, the first one on an Israeli citizen who was injured in New Delhi, and the second one on a local employee at the Israel embassy in Georgia. Iran, who stands behind these attacks, is the biggest terror exporter in the world. The Israeli government and the its security forces will continue to work hand in hand with the local security forces against such acts of terror, and we will continue to act against them forcefully, systematically and calmly against international terror originating from Iran," Mr Netanyahu said on Monday.
Iran has firmly denied the allegations. Ramin Mehmanparast, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said, "We categorically reject the accusations made by the Zionist regime. They are part of a propaganda war... Iran condemns all acts of terrorism." (Read: Iran denies Israel's allegations)
India, which will have to walk the diplomatic tightrope, has assured Israel of a serious and thorough investigation. External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said last evening, "The culprits will be brought to justice at the earliest. I have just spoken to Israel's PM and I have assured Israel's foreign minister that the law of the land will take its course. The investigation has already started, we will continue with it and keep him posted as and when we get the progress report on the investigation." Mr Krishna said.
The US condemned the attacks. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, "The United States places a high priority on the safety and security of diplomatic personnel around the world and we stand ready to assist with any investigation of these cowardly actions".
Yesterday's blast happened barely 200 metres from the Prime Minister's residence sending security personnel in a tizzy. It was initially reported as a CNG cylinder burst but traces of explosives were found on the car, which was completely burnt, soon after. The entire area was cordoned off as senior officials rushed to the spot. An eyewitness told reporters, "We heard a blast and came here to see what happened. We saw the car burning. There were 2 people in the car. Bystanders pulled them out." (Watch: Delhi Police chief on car blast)
Delhi's Police Commissioner BK Gupta said the Special cell of Delhi Police is investigating the case.
Israel embassy car blast: Police studying CCTV footage from residence near site
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Israel embassy car blast: Top 10 developments
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: February 14, 2012 11:14 IST
New Delhi: After an Israeli diplomat's car exploded in New Delhi, just a few feet from the Prime Minister's residence, Israel has blamed Iran for what it describes as a terror attack. Here are 10 big developments in the case:
1) The Israeli diplomat, Tal Yehoshua-Koren, has been operated upon for spinal injuries; she is in critical but stable condition. There were three other people who were injured in the explosion.
The driver of Ms Yehoshua's car, and two others who were in an Tata Indica behind them were injured; they were Indians, and suffered minor injuries.
2) Israel has blamed Iran for the attack, and has described it as "the biggest terror exporter in the world."
3) Iran has rejected the accusation, attributing it to propaganda. An official statement blamed "the Zionist regime's psychological war against Iran."
4) Iran has blamed Israel for the assassinations of a series of its nuclear scientists in recent months. In those cases, like in Delhi, a magnetic object was attached to vehicles before their exploded. Israel, along with countries like the US, has been opposed to Iran's nuclear programme.
5) The car in yesterday's attack in Delhi blew up after explosives were allegedly attached to it at a traffic signal. A man on a motorcycle who was tailing the car is believed to be responsible. He has been captured on security cameras owned by those who live in large houses in this very expensive part of Delhi.
6) The car - a Totyota Innova - was destroyed in the blast. Members of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) have examined the mangled remains of the car and collected samples of the explosives found.
7) Sources in the Delhi Police say cheap hotels in Paharganj often frequented by backpackers are being raided to locate suspects.
8) Another bomb was found yesterday attached to the car of the Israeli embassy in Georgia, but it was defused by the police.
9) Israeli Embassy offices in Mumbai, and across the world, have also been put on high alert. In Delhi, all embassies are on alert.
10) The big concern for India is about turning into a battleground for international terror attacks.
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