Blast near Israeli Embassy: Home Ministry hands over probe to NIA

The Union Home Ministry Tuesday handed over the probe into the blast near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). This comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and conveyed his “strong condemnation of the terror attack”.

A crude bomb went off near the Embassy of Israel on Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road in New Delhi on the evening of January 30. The explosion, caused by a low-intensity improvised device, took place on a day the two countries marked the 29th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

On Monday, PM Modi spoke to Netanyahu on telephone and assured that India would “deploy all resources to find the perpetrators”. “Prime Minister conveyed his strong condemnation of the terror attack near the Israeli Embassy… He assured Prime Minister Netanyahu that India accords the highest importance to the safety and security of Israeli diplomats and premises, and would deploy all its resources to find and punish the perpetrators. Both leaders expressed satisfaction about the close coordination between Indian and Israeli security agencies in this context,” a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The NIA will take over the probe from the special cell of Delhi Police. The initial probe has hinted at an ‘Iranian link’. The Indian Express has learned that investigators discovered clues that point to a sophisticated attempt at launching a coordinated international attack with the aim of sending a message.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had spoken to his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi and assured him of “fullest protection” to the jewish nation’s diplomats and its mission. Jaishankar had said that India has taken the incident “very seriously” and that no effort will be spared to find the culprits.