NEW DELHI: Treading cautiously so as not to get sandwiched between Israel and Iran, India on Tuesday refrained from naming any one country as being responsible for Monday’s Israeli Embassy car blast, even as the act was termed a terror strike.
Indian authorities said the incident could not be termed as an intelligence failure, and went into a huddle to review the security scenario post the terrorist attack. While Israel immediately held Iran responsible for the strike, India—apprehensive of getting into a global slugfest over the terror allegations—said it was too early to name any country as being responsible for the terror strike.
Reacting for the first time after the incident, Home Minister P Chidambaram said the act was carried out by a very well-trained person. “It is quite clear that a very well-trained person committed this attack. There are reasons to believe that target was the Israeli diplomat’s wife. We have to proceed on the basis that it was a terror attack,” Chidambaram said after chairing a meeting attended by Home Secretary R K Singh, Special Secretary (Internal Security) Ajay Chadha, National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon, Intelligence Bureau chief N Sandhu and other senior Home Ministry officials.
Delhi Police is on the lookout for a red motorcycle—possibly stolen—and its rider, who eyewitnesses said planted the magnetic “stick-on” bomb on the car that left the wife of Israel’s Defence Attaché and three others injured. This is the first time such a sophisticated bomb has been used in India.
However, Chidambaram said: “I am not pointing fingers at any particular organisation. Whoever did it, we condemn it strongly.”