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Briefcase bomb kills 11 in India
Source: Agencies |
September 8, 2011, Thursday
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A BOMB in a briefcase ripped through a crowd of people waiting to enter New Delhi High Court yesterday, killing 11 people and wounding scores more in the deadliest attack in India's capital in nearly three years.
An al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for the blast.
The attack came despite a high alert across the city and renewed doubts about India's ability to protect even its most important institutions despite overhauling security after the 2008 Mumbai siege.
"Have we become so vulnerable that terrorist groups can almost strike at will?" opposition lawmaker Arun Jaitley asked in parliament.
The bomb left a crater in the road and shook the courthouse, sending lawyers and judges fleeing outside.
Lawyer Sangeeta Sondhi, who was parking her car near the gate when the bomb exploded, said: "There was smoke everywhere. People were running. People were shouting. There was blood everywhere. It was very, very scary."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, visiting neighboring Bangladesh, said: "We will never succumb to the pressure of terrorists. This is a long war in which all political parties and all the people of India will have to stand united so that this scourge of terrorism is crushed."
The bomb exploded in the morning near a line of more than 100 people waiting for passes to enter the court building on New Delhi's Sher Shah Road.
Officials said the blast killed 11 people and wounded 59 others.
People ran to the scene to help the injured, piling them into rickshaws to take them to the hospital.
Renu Sehgal, a 42-year-old housewife with a case pending before the court, had just received her pass and was standing with her uncle and mother while her husband parked their car when she heard the explosion.
"The sound was so huge and suddenly people started running," she said. "We were all in such a big panic. I am lucky I survived."
The courthouse was evacuated after the attack.
Police were scouring the city for suspects, searching hotels, bus stops, railway stations and the airport, according to security officials who said all roads out of the city were under surveillance.
Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said: "We are determined to track down the perpetrators of this horrific crime and bring them to justice."
An email sent to several TV news channels claimed the bombing was perpetrated by Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, an Islamic extremist group said to be based in Pakistan that has been blamed for numerous terror strikes in India.
The US State Department has said the group has deep ties to al-Qaida, and some of its members have trained at the group's camps.
An al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for the blast.
The attack came despite a high alert across the city and renewed doubts about India's ability to protect even its most important institutions despite overhauling security after the 2008 Mumbai siege.
"Have we become so vulnerable that terrorist groups can almost strike at will?" opposition lawmaker Arun Jaitley asked in parliament.
The bomb left a crater in the road and shook the courthouse, sending lawyers and judges fleeing outside.
Lawyer Sangeeta Sondhi, who was parking her car near the gate when the bomb exploded, said: "There was smoke everywhere. People were running. People were shouting. There was blood everywhere. It was very, very scary."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, visiting neighboring Bangladesh, said: "We will never succumb to the pressure of terrorists. This is a long war in which all political parties and all the people of India will have to stand united so that this scourge of terrorism is crushed."
The bomb exploded in the morning near a line of more than 100 people waiting for passes to enter the court building on New Delhi's Sher Shah Road.
Officials said the blast killed 11 people and wounded 59 others.
People ran to the scene to help the injured, piling them into rickshaws to take them to the hospital.
Renu Sehgal, a 42-year-old housewife with a case pending before the court, had just received her pass and was standing with her uncle and mother while her husband parked their car when she heard the explosion.
"The sound was so huge and suddenly people started running," she said. "We were all in such a big panic. I am lucky I survived."
The courthouse was evacuated after the attack.
Police were scouring the city for suspects, searching hotels, bus stops, railway stations and the airport, according to security officials who said all roads out of the city were under surveillance.
Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said: "We are determined to track down the perpetrators of this horrific crime and bring them to justice."
An email sent to several TV news channels claimed the bombing was perpetrated by Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, an Islamic extremist group said to be based in Pakistan that has been blamed for numerous terror strikes in India.
The US State Department has said the group has deep ties to al-Qaida, and some of its members have trained at the group's camps.
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