India’s security agencies are worried. Initial investigations have revealed that the modus operandi employed by the person who attacked Israeli embassy staff in New Delhi – by fixing bomb to a car – “mirrored the method used by Mossad earlier to assassinate Iranian scientists.”
(Meanwhile, the Israeli diplomat’s wife who was in the car when the explosion took place in New Delhi on Monday is still critical. Tal Yehoshua-Koren, 40, was on her way to pick up her children from the American School when the blast happened. Three other people, including the driver of the car, received minor injuries. Ms Yehoshua was operated upon to remove shrapnel from her spine on Monday night. Her left leg is paralysed for now. She also has injuries in her lung and liver.)
Security experts in India are of the view that the copy-cat attack may be a way of telling Israel that Iran has the capability to carry out similar attacks in distant locales. In New Delhi, India’s National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai were in constant touch with the Israeli authorities, who have shared crucial information on the possible suspects, reports the Economic Times.
“Most Iranian scientists engaged in Iran’s nuclear programme were killed in car bomb blasts triggered by similar magnetic devices (as used in New Delhi attack). Iranians suspect these attacks were carried out by Israel or the US. The emergence of magnet bombs is seen as a worrying trend by Indian agencies, who fear that local terrorist modules may draft them to attack VIPs and high-value targets here.
Meanwhile top Indian minister’s reference to a “well-trained” bomber is seen as confirming the intelligence agencies’ fears that a commando may have been used to carry out the “surgical” strike in New Delhi. The bomber was familiar with all the approach roads and the quickest exit route, which agencies suspect was not possible without the help of local contacts.
“The dry runs helped him not only to choose the traffic signal where he would attach the bomb to the car’s rear, but also facilitate his quick escape to safety before the bomb could go off. The sticky bomb was used for the first time in India. The device did not have a battery or a circuit, indicating an in-built, quick timer mechanism similar to a grenade.
“The police believe that the bomber was trailing the diplomat’s car for the last few days. Incidentally, sources told ET that a motorcycle had brushed the diplomat’s car days before the blast.” More here…
Are we seeing a shifting of theatre of the Israeli-Iran brinkmanship from familiar stages like Gaza, Damascus and Beirut to neutral grounds like Delhi? asks Dr Trita Parsi, president, National Iranian American Council, and adjunct professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University.
His acclaimed first work, Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States, seeks to debunk prevalent myths about Iran-US-Israel relationship while the latest – A Single Roll of the Dice – Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran – focuses on US President Barack Obama’s failure to put diplomacy before sanctions in engaging Iran.
“Well, I’d say, we need to be cautious. We haven’t had any credible evidence yet (to trace it back to Tehran). The assassinations of those associated with the Iranian nuclear programme have been traced back to a certain extent to Israel, since it has been at least confirmed by the US government.
“A recent NBC programme traced the killings to collusion between Israel and the banned Iranian Mujahideen groups. It won’t be entirely surprising if Iran hits back. It won’t be surprising if there are counter assassinations.
“What would be surprising is that why would they do it in a country like India, one of the last major countries that’s still resisting the US diktat on isolating Iran. New Delhi is one of Tehran’s largest trading partners, India is an emerging power and carries a lot of weight internationally.” More here…
Here’s my earlier post on India’s dilemma … Please see here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.