Israel has accused Iran of being behind Monday’s car bomb blast in New Delhi. In an interview to Jehangir Ali, Delhi police commissioner B.K. Gupta said the evidence recovered so far doesn’t suggest the involvement of any foreign country

Q: What are the investigations suggesting into Monday’s daylight attack on an Israeli woman that took place in the heart of the city? Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of using the Lebanese militant outfit Hezbollah as its proxy to carry out the attack on the Israeli diplomat? Is there any evidence available so far to indicate that Iran played a role in the attack?

A: Our investigations have just started. Traces of potassium and chlorine have been found in the samples that were sent for forensic examination on Monday, but the investigators have not drawn any conclusive opinion about the composition of the blast.
The magnet pieces recovered from the site of explosion suggest that the bomb was attached to the embassy car. The intention of the assailants was to cause maximum damage. The CCTV footage procured from various locations is being scrutinised to get some clues on the identity of the biker. We will get the final forensic examination report within a couple of days from CFSL. So far there is no clear evidence to suggest the involvement of any foreign country in the blast.

Q: Media reports are suggesting that the investigators of Monday’s attack are scrutinising some specific phone calls emerging from Delhi to subscribers based in Lebanon, Iran and Afghanistan and vice versa before and after the attack? Can you share the details?

A: You see, after the blast, I had gone to meet the home minister at his office on Tuesday. Before I reached his office, a TV channel had run “breaking story” that I had briefed Mr Chidambaram (laughs). This is foolish and very irresponsible behaviour on the part of the media. Other reports are suggesting that a Delhi police team has gone to Maharashtra in connection with the case. This is not correct. These are some sensitive issues that need to be reported very carefully. I have asked my office to send an advisory to the media to abstain from reporting unconfirmed and baseless reports. Although, we have made a number of detentions in the case but all the suspects have been let off for now after questioning. This is only a part of the investigations. I don’t think it’s fair to share the details before the investigations are completed.

Q: Have the investigators found the switch that was used to trigger the blast?

A: The switch used to trigger the blast has not been recovered so far. The material that was used in the blast can be locally procured and has been used by terrorist outfits in the past.
For example, the blast that took place on May 25 outside Delhi high court, similar mixture was used but the improper composition of various chemicals had ruined the mixture and the bomb fizzled out.
However, there is no evidence so far to suggest the hand of Indian Mujahideen in the attack. We are investigating the case with a multi pronged strategy but nothing has been ruled out so far.

Q: An Iranian national was arrested by the Bangkok police in a bomb blast in the city on Tuesday. There are reports suggesting that the Bangkok blast is linked to Monday’s blast on Aurengzeb Road here. Are there any similarities between the two blasts?

A: I don’t know exactly what type of evidence the investigators of Bangkok police have got in their case.
From what I can gather from the daily reports appearing in the media, I don’t think there is any similarity between the two blasts. Even the components found in the Bangkok blast are not similar to the one used by the bombers in Delhi. I don’t think the two blasts are related at all.