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April 14, 2006
India: Mosque Explosions - 10 Wounded
Breaking news from the Times, the Sun, Associated Press via 6 abc local, and Reuters via Yahoo News gives details of explosions which took place at the largest mosque in India's capital, New Delhi.
The redstone Jama Masjid mosque is also one of the oldest mosques, having been built in the 17th century, under Mughal emperor Shah Jehan (he who built the Taj Mahal). Two bomb explosions took place, within 10 minutes of each other, shortly after Friday evening prayers. Currently the mosque is closed and cordoned off. No group has claimed responsibility. Muslims have protested with placards, blaming the government for poor security.
The mosque's senior imam, Sayeed Ahmed Bukhari, claimed that the first of the two blasts happened at 5.20 pm local time. "I cannot put a figure on the number of those injured, but I saw one man critically injured and women running with their bleeding children on their arms," he said.
"We did not see the first explosion but the second one definitely originated from a bag that was kept inside the prayer grounds. The second blast went off as people were helping those injured and if this is not a terror attack then what is?" he said.
According to some reports, the first explosion took place in an area used by worshippers for washing, before prayers. Police have said the devices were low-impact "improvised" bombs.
The Jama Masjid mosque can hold 25,000 people. Latest reports say at least 10 people were injured in the two blasts, with at least two of these critically wounded.
On March 7 20 people were killed in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh state, in a series of three bomb blasts, one of which took place in a crowded Hindu temple while weddings were being celebrated on the day of a festival for Hanuman, the monkey god. On April 5 a Muslim cleric called Waiullah claimed responsibility for causing the explosions. He was working with members of the Bangladeshi terrorist group Harkatul Jihad-al Islami
Reuters further states that earlier today, five people were killed and 31 wounded in six explosions in Srinigar in India's Jammu and Kashmir state, in the disputed region of Kashmir. At the city's holiest Muslim shrine, Hazratbal, worshippers were offering Friday prayers for "prophet" Mohammed's birthday, which officially takes place on 11 April.
Update on the Srinigar incident: Persian News states that the sixth blast was caused by a grenade thrown at security forces at Sakkidafar Chowk in downtown Srinigar. The militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the last incident with the grenade.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at April 14, 2006 10:39 AM
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