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Terror strikes again : Government caught napping

	August 27, 2007

Terrorists struck again in the Andhra Pradesh capital, Hyderabad, on Saturday, August 25, carrying out two bomb exploｬsions in quick succession, leading to the death of at least 42 people and injuries to over a hundred others. The death toll may go up as debris are still to be cleared completely.



Intelligence sources believe the blasts to be the handiwork of terrorist groups and the needle of suspicion is on the cadres of the Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami (HUJI) and sleeper cells of the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit. HUJI was also involved in the Mecca Masjid blasts in Hyderabad on May 18. The terrorist outfit, which is reportedly working at the behest of Pakistan痴 inter-services intelligence (ISI), is also suspected to have been responsible for the Samjhauta Express blasts.



Saturday痴 terrorist incident has blown holes in the claims of the Centre and the State Government that steps have been taken to check the activities of terrorist outfits. Observers say that the Government still does not appear to have become wise to the latest terrorist tactic to attack soft targets in areas other than Kashmir and the national capital, Delhi, especially places in the south of the country. No effective strategy appears to have been worked out to avert such attacks or to at least appreｬhend the culprits responsible for such incidents and to bring them to justice speedily.





Blasts within minutes of each other



The two serial blasts took place in Hyderabad in the space of a few minutes, indicating the capability of terrorist elements to strike in accordance with their plans. The toll would have been more if live bombs in three other places in the city had not been detected on time and defused by the police. The planting of bombs at five places indicates that the terrorists wanted to create mayhem through near simultaneous blasts.



The first blast at Lumbini Park, a popular tourist attracｬtion in the heart of the city on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake, during a laser show, killed at least nine people. The second one a little later at Gokul Chat at Koti saw more than 32 persons dead, according to State Home Minister K. Jana Reddy.



Police Commissioner Balvinder Singh said the toll might go up at Lumbini Park, where the bomb ripped through the middle rows of the auditorium.







Around 500 persons were present at the park, when the exploｬsion occurred.



The second explosion occurred at Gokul Chat, a popular eatery in crowded Koti area. It was initially thought to be a gas cylinder explosion but subsequently police came to suspect that some powerful explosive material like RDX might have been used.



The impact of the explosion was so powerful that the bodies were ripped apart and strewn all around. The injured were shifted to Osmania, Medicity and Gandhi hospitals.



Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, after visiting Lumbiｬni Park, said it was a terrorist attack and said the government was looking into the blasts.



Though no terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the blasts, suspicion centered on the Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami (HuJI). Forensic experts who visited the site said the slurry explosive with metal balls was packed in containers and detonated with a timer. Both the blasts took place around 7.46 p.m.



Just about three months ago, a powerful explosion ripped through a massive congregation at the Mecca Masjid near Charmiｬnar, killing nine persons. In the violence that followed, five persons were killed in police firing. The May 18 blast as well as the Saturday explosions did not lead to a communal conflagration, as the perpetrators would have hoped for.



Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee have condemned the Hyderabad blasts.



Dr. Singh expressed deep concern over the welfare of those affected. Patil said all-out efforts would be made to bring the perpetrators of the ghastly crime to justice. Chatterjee exｬpressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives of innocent people. All leaders offered condolences to the families of those killed.



Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta said the Ministry was closely monitoring the situation in Hyderabad in the wake of the blasts. All assistance would be provided to the State government to tackle the situation.





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HUJI activist Bilal key suspect



Official sources say that Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami activist Mohd. Abdul Sahed alias Bilal, who is wanted for the blasts on the Samjhauta Express is believed to be the key suspect in the twin blasts in Hyderabad.





They said the blasts were quite similar to that of Mecca mosque explosion in Hyderabad in May this year of which Bilal was suspected to be the mastermind.



The sources said it is believed that the two blasts were triggered by a mobile phone. A similar modus operandi was folｬlowed in the Mecca mosque explosion.



Bilal, who took over the command of HUJI on October 12, 2005, has been on the list of most wanted terrorists after he masterminded a suicide attack on the Special Task Force痴 headｬquarters in Hyderabad that left one police personnel dead.



The sources said that some of the sleeper cells of Jaish-e-Mohammed could also have been used by HUJI.



Bilal is believed to be in Karachi. The CBI has already procured a red-corner notice from Interpol against Bilal.



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Unexploded bombs found on Sunday : Nationwide alert sounded



Police found 19 unexploded bombs in Hyderabad on Sunday, Aug. 26, most fitted with timers and placed in plastic bags at bus stops, cinema halls, road junctions and pedestrian bridges and near a public water tap.



The Centre has sent extra police and special bomb detection equipment to Hyderabad to assist the state security agencies. The Union Home Ministry has asked the security agencies to closeｬly monitor the situation. The national capital Delhi, and variｬous states have been put on alert following the Hyderabad blasts.





Mecca masjid blast probe going nowhere



Efforts of the CBI, which has been entrusted with the invesｬtigation of the Mecca masjid blast of May 18, have not made much headway. The agency has not been able to apprehend the culprits or to decisively unearth the conspiracy so far.



The Status of investigation



May 21: NSG reports similarities with the Malegaon blasts on Sept 8, 2006



May 22: SIM card in failed bomb痴 mobile phone timer traced to a shop in Jharkhand, bought using the ID of Babulal Yadav. But Yadav is unaware of purchase



May 23: Police turn to narco-analysis of Sameer Sheikh, an alｬleged LeT operative, who claims to have transported men from Bangladesh to Hyderabad



May 25: Hyderabad police arrest Shoaib Jagirdar, a 52-year-old butcher from Jalna in Maharashtra. Police say he visited Hyderaｬbad with Sheikh



June 7: Sheikh taken into custody by the Hyderabad police, the only one formally arrested for the blasts



June 15: Abdul Sattar, 27, a mechanic is arrested by the Hyderaｬbad police



July 26: CBI issues lookout for two persons believed to have bought the SIM cards; a Noida yoga teacher claims his photo used