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No evidence yet of Iran hand in Delhi car blast: India
Chidambaram says the strike handiwork of ‘well-trained’ person
Ajay Banerjee/TNS

New Delhi, February 14
India has so far not agreed with Israel and the United States that Iran was behind yesterday's car blast in New Delhi in which an Israeli woman diplomat, Tal Yehoshua Koren, was seriously injured.

New Delhi will also not allow any Israeli security agency, like its spy network Mossad, to carry out an independent probe at the blast site.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram and the Home Secretary RK Singh, in separate statements, have made it clear that it would be premature to apportion blame on any country at this stage.

Chidambaram, speaking to reporters outside his North Block office, termed it as a "terror attack," but did not name Iran or any other country or group as the responsible party. "At the moment, I am not pointing a finger at any particular group or any particular organization", he said while adding that the attack was carried out by a "very well-trained person".

"Investigators would not stop until they find those responsible for the attack. They are continuing to investigate the incident and find additional details about the motorcyclist who attached the bomb to the car," he said.

The Home Secretary rebuffed the conviction with which Israel and US have blamed Iran. "We have no evidence to name any country. It's premature to take any country's name," he told reporters when asked whether there was Iranian hand in yesterday's terror attack which left four persons injured.

"We don't have any idea who planted the bomb. There is no material to show involvement of any country," Singh said as pressure built up after Israel made public statements blaming Iran. "We are going by evidence and not theory", the Home Secretary asserted.

Sources said it could not be said if the Woman's husband, Col Yossi Refaelov, the Israeli Defence attaché to India, was the target. Official sources ruled out the possibility of Israel's agencies investigating the blast. "There is no question of anybody doing a probe on the India soil", a source said. There have been reports that Mossad had sent a team. Indian officials said Israel could give its opinions to the Indian investigations.

The Home Ministry has issued an advisory to all states to beef up security in Jewish establishments and for Israeli tourists visiting India.

The Centre also told the states hosting diplomatic missions of Israel, the US and other Western countries, to beef up security. The Home Ministry also advised the states not to allow parking near any foreign missions.

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