A day after receiving a call about a suspected blast being heard near the Israel embassy, Delhi police have zeroed in on two ‘suspects’ after examining the CCTV footage. However, officials have not confirmed the duo's involvement in the same, said sources as quoted by the news agency ANI.
They added two persons roaming near the Israel embassy on Tuesday evening have emerged as suspects in the alleged blast incident. “We are trying to ascertain their identity and what were they doing in the area at the time of the call. Things will become clear only after their questioning," sources said.
Blast near Israel embassy in Delhi: 10 things we know so far
The Israeli National Security Council has issued a travel advisory for its citizens in India, suspecting that an explosion near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday was “a possible terror attack".
No one was injured in the blast that occurred near the Israel embassy in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave in New Delhi on Tuesday evening
When contacted, Israeli embassy spokesperson Guy Nir said, "We can confirm that around 5:48 pm, there was a blast near the embassy. Delhi Police and the security team are still investigating the situation."
The recommendations of the Israeli National Security Council (NSC) on Tuesday, which come amid concerns of a "recurrence of events", apply especially to New Delhi. Israeli nationals have been warned to try to avoid going to crowded places.
Soon after the explosion, which took place in a green belt area outside the Central Hindi Training Institute located near the embassy, teams of Delhi Police's Special Cell, bomb disposal squad, and fire department rushed to the spot. An almost three-hour-long search operation was carried out in the area.
The explosion in New Delhi comes amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, where more than 20,000 people have been killed. Israel is facing extreme pressure from the rest of the world to tone down its airstrikes over the Gaza region and many organizations in India took out protests against the death of Palestinians in Gaza.
This is not the first time that an explosion has been reported near the Israel Embassy in New Delhi. In 2021, a low-intensity blast had occurred outside the Israeli embassy.
Although no one was hurt in the blast, it left a crater on the road and three cars were damaged in the explosion. India's anti-terror body National Investigation Agency (NIA) had taken over the investigation of the case and the probe is still on.
In February 2012, the wife of an Israeli security staff at the embassy was injured in an attack on her car in New Delhi.
Security has been high around the Israel embassy in New Delhi since the war between Israel and Hamas began earlier this year, security officials said.
Source: ANI