Accused in Delhi car bomb attack appears in court; another suspect held
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Security staff escort suspect Amir Rashid Ali from a police vehicle at the Patiala House Court.
PHOTO: AFP
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New Delhi - Indian anti-terrorism investigators on Nov 17 presented in court a suspect linked to last week’s deadly car bomb attack in New Delhi, one of three men accused of involvement in the suicide strike.
Officials have not disclosed any details on the motives or organisational backing of the alleged attackers, both of whom they say came from Indian-administered Kashmir.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and both claim the Himalayan territory in full. Tensions remain high between New Delhi and Islamabad.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said suspect Amir Rashid Ali is accused of having “conspired with the alleged suicide bomber, Umar Un Nabi, to unleash the terror attack” on Nov 10.
The NIA put the death toll at 10, though hospital officials told AFP that at least 12 people had been killed. It remains unclear whether Nabi is included in the tally.
It also said in a statement issued late on Nov 17 it had arrested another of Nabi’s alleged accomplices from Kashmir.
The agency said Jasir Bilal Wani had “allegedly provided technical support for carrying out terror attacks by modifying drones and attempting to make rockets” ahead of the blast.
An AFP photographer saw Ali being taken under heavy guard from a police truck to to a New Delhi court to face charges.
Indian media reported that the court had ordered he be held in custody for 10 days by the NIA.
The Nov 10 blast erupted near a busy metro station close to the Red Fort in Old Delhi, where the prime minister delivers the annual Independence Day address.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the attack a “conspiracy” and vowed to bring the “perpetrators, their collaborators and their sponsors” to justice.
Nabi was a medical professor at a university in Haryana state, just outside the capital, while Ali had allegedly travelled to Delhi to “facilitate the purchase of the car which was eventually used as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED)“, according to the NIA.
India has provided no further information on the alleged motives or network behind the suspects.
The bombing was the worst attack since April 22, when 26 mainly Hindu civilians were killed
New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing that attack, claims Islamabad denied.
In May, India launched strikes inside Pakistan, triggering four days of intense cross-border conflict
After a ceasefire, Mr Modi vowed that “any attack on Indian soil will be considered as an act of war”.
Separately on Nov 17, army chief General Upendra Dwivedi issued a pointed warning to Pakistan, comparing the brief May conflict to a “trailer” rather than a full-length film.
“I’d like to say that the movie hasn’t even started – only a trailer was shown, and, after the trailer, it was over within 88 hours,” he said in a speech at a defence conference in New Delhi.
“So, we’re fully prepared for the future, and if Pakistan gives us such an opportunity, we’d like to provide them with a thorough education – on how a responsible nation should behave with its neighbours.” AFP
