Commenting on the attacks which killed over 125 people, he added that violent extremists should not be allowed to divide India and Pakistan. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON - THE Mumbai attacks bear some hallmarks of Al-Qaeda but it is too early to say if the network was behind the deadly assaults, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Thursday.
Commenting on the attacks which killed over 125 people, and which an Indian commander blamed on Pakistanis, he added that violent extremists should not be allowed to divide India and Pakistan.
'It is very premature to start talking about links to Al-Qaeda,' he said.
'Some of the names of groups that are being circulated at the moment are not Al-Qaeda affiliates, but that cannot be taken as a definitive view.'
'The fact that these were coordinated attacks, attacks on travel centres as well as on hotels, bears some hallmarks of Al-Qaeda, but equally that does not mean that this is an Al-Qaeda attack.'
He praised comments by Indian and Pakistani leaders, saying they were 'the words of responsible statesmen, statesmen who are determined that the terrorists will not divide their two countries even further'.
'We are absolutely determined to support the steps that have been taken over the last few years by governments of all stripes in India and Pakistan to build ... normal relations between those two countries,' he said.
Later, Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown told the BBC that more information was needed before it could be established what had happened.
Asked about reports that the attacks could have been planned in Pakistan, he said: 'We are hearing the same things as you are about some Pakistan connection but we devoutly hope it is not true.'
Mr Miliband said one Briton was among those killed in the series of blasts and shootings that centred on two luxury hotels frequented by foreigners in Indian's financial capital.
He declined to estimate how many Britons were injured, but said that it was more than seven, the figure given earlier by Britain's High Commissioner in India.
'It's not running away from that number, but it's higher than that number,' Mr Miliband said. -- AFP
