FIR lodged in Israel embassy blast incident in Delhi

The case was transferred to the special cell, the anti-terror unit of the Delhi Police, for further investigation

The Delhi Police on Friday said it registered a first information report (FIR) against unknown people in connection with a low-intensity blast near Israeli mission in the high-security Lutyens’ zone earlier this week, but added that they were yet to identify the people behind the incident.

Forensic team scans the area after the blast. (HT Photo)

Read here: Israeli embassy low-intensity blast case: Police looking for ‘person of interest’

The FIR was registered for causing an explosion likely to endanger life or property and mischief causing damage under Section 3 of the Explosive Substance Act and Section 427 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Tughlak Road police station, said two senior police officers on Friday.

The case was transferred to the special cell, the anti-terror unit of the Delhi Police, for further investigation, the officers cited above added. No suspects were identified till late Friday evening, they said.

“The FIR was registered under circumstantial evidence, recorded statements of some witnesses who heard the blast, and the recovery of some items such as the broken dial of a watch, some cycle steel balls, and a letter addressed to the ambassador of the Israeli embassy. The forensic examination reports of the recovered items are still pending. It’s too early to comment on the nature of the blast and whether the recovered cycle steel balls and the broken dial were residue of the blast, since no visible chemical or explosive substance was found,” said one of the officers cited above.

The second officer said that circumstantial evidence included the fact that some sequence of events leading to the event contained some resemblance to the January 29, 2021 low-intensity blast outside the Israeli embassy, a case where no headway could be made till date.

Like the 2021 blast that was reported around 5pm near Bungalow number 5 at APJ Abdul Kalam Road near Jindal House, the December 26 blast also happened around the same time, although on Prithviraj Road that is behind the previous blast site and nearly 250 metres away from the Israeli embassy, the second officer said.

During the investigation of the 2021 blast case, investigators found two suspects on CCTV with obscured faces around the blast site during the time of the explosion. The last location of the suspects was found in Jamia Nagar. In the latest case also, an “unidentified tall man” who travelled near the blast site had started his journey from Jamia Nagar in an auto-rickshaw nearly three hours before the incident, the second officer said.

“This tall man is a person of interest for us in the case because his movement and activities appeared suspicious,” the first officer added.

Police said that the passenger became a suspect because he boarded another auto from Prithviraj Road, three to four minutes after he left the first auto. The second auto moved towards India Gate and around North Block from where it took a route that was not covered by CCTV cameras. The officer underlined it was “premature” to confirm or deny if the man was the main suspect

The low-intensity blast took place nearly 250 metres from the embassy. A single-page letter typed in English addressed to the Israeli ambassador was found at the spot, citing Israel’s actions against Palestinians in Gaza since October 7.

Read here: Israel issues advisory after blast near Delhi embassy, cops scour for clues

A single-page letter typed in English addressed to the Israeli ambassador was found at the spot, citing Israel’s actions against Palestinians in Gaza since October 7.

The Israeli embassy called the low-intensity blast a “possible terror attack”, and asked Israeli citizens to avoid public places or crowded events. Police increased security at the embassy and sounded a high alert.