Believe it was terror attack, says Israel envoy on blast in Capital

NEW DELHI: A day after a blast outside its Embassy here, Israel’s ambassador to India Ron Malka said there are enough reasons to believe it was a terrorist attack but they are not surprised at the event as the alert level had been increased for past few weeks following intelligence inputs.

In an interview with PTI, he also said the investigations will look into all possible angles, including whether there are any links to the 2012 attack on Israeli diplomats here while events around the world are also being examined to find any related operations or activities at any destination.

“These attacks by those seeking destablisation in the (West Asia) region cannot stop us or scare us. Our peace efforts will continue uninterrupted,” he said when asked whether the attack was aimed at derailing Israel’s peace efforts with various Arab countries. He said Israeli authorities and the embassy are providing all assistance and every information Indian authorities probing the attack.

A low-intensity improvised explosive device(IED) went off near the Israeli Embassy in the heart of Delhi on Friday evening but no one was injured.

Some cars were damaged in the blast that occurred about 150 metres away from the Embassy in Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road in the very high-security Lutyens’ bungalow zone.

Meanwhile, an investigation team of Delhi Police’s Special Cell on Saturday visited the blast site near the Israeli Embassy to collect more evidence as part of its ongoing probe, sources said.

They said the forensic experts have also collected some samples from the crime scene that will ascertain the chemical composition used in the low-intensity IED.

Official sources said ball bearings seized from the spot were found scattered on the ground and the impact of the explosion was felt within a radius of 20-25 metres. The blast took place on Friday evening in a high-security zone of the national capital. No one was injured. An envelope addressed to the Israeli Embassy and containing a note was found at the site of the blast, sources had said. A case has been registered and the Delhi Police’s Special Cell is investigating the matter. A 10-member team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) had on Friday visited the blast site and collected residues which include metallic swab and ball bearings.

Delhi Police Commissioner S N Shrivastava too had visited the site in the evening and took stock of the situation.

All materials seized from the spot have been handed over to the investigating officer of the Delhi Police, a source said.

“We are yet to receive the samples collected from the spot. Once the investigating officer submits the samples conclusively, we will be sending them to our explosives team. Only a chemical test will help us identify the exact composition of the samples,” FSL sources said.

These attacks by those seeking destablisation in the (West Asia) region cannot stop us or scare us RON MALKA, Israel Envoy