New Delhi, April 19
Eight suspects in the Bangalore bomb blast case have been detained from three southern states: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Sources close to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi said three suspects were detained from Bangalore, four from Tamil Nadu and one from Kerala.

National Security Guard (NSG) sources said the bomb was an improvised explosive device (IED), which consisted of a “delay mechanism”, meaning a timer and some fuses were used in it.

The eight suspects are being questioned in connection with the blast that ripped through a street, located outside a BJP office in Bangalore on Wednesday morning. Sixteen persons, including 12 police constables, were injured in the terror attack.

Teams of the NIA, NSG bomb squads and the state police have been working at the blast site searching for clues in the case.

The sources said the bomb was a “crude” and unsophisticated IED. They claimed the Indian Mujahideen, a terror outfit, is notorious for making such bombs.

The delay mechanism used in the bomb may have consisted of a mechanical timer or a clock or a watch. If a clock or a watch was used as a timer, then its rotating hands are used to complete an electrical circuit and detonate the bomb.

“The timer was not recovered. Such things are blown to smithereens during the explosion,” said the sources.

The IED also contained about 600 to 700 gram of ammonium nitrate, a high-explosive that is mainly used by terror groups in making IEDs.

The bomb had been placed inside a tin or aluminum box. The box was fitted between the fuel tank and the seat of a motorcycle, which was parked about 50 metres away from the BJP office.

“No shrapnels were used in the bomb. Instead the parts of the motorcycle acted as shrapnels during the explosion of the IED,” said the sources.