Terror struck Pune on Saturday evening when a powerful bomb ripped apart a popular bakery near a Jewish prayer house, killing nine people, including a foreigner, and injuring 32 in the first major attack since 26/11 carnage. The improvised explosive device, kept in an unattended packet outside the kitchen of the German bakery, exploded at around 7.30 pm when a waiter attempted to open it. "It is most probably a terror attack. Forensic experts of CBI and team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials are being airlifted to Pune to assist the state police in the investigations," Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said. The German bakery is a favourite food joint for foreigners, located close to Osho Ashram which had been surveyed by Pakistani-origin American David Coleman Headley, a Lashkar-e Taiba operative. Quoting information from the state government, Pillai said eight people had died and 32 were injured in the blast. One each of the killed and the injured are foreigners, he said, but could not give the nationality. The rest, he said, were believed to be Indians but the situation could change. Asked whether Pakistani hand was suspected behind the attack, Pillai said he could not say anything till forensic examination was over. Alert sounded Home Minister P Chidambaram, who is in Tamil Nadu, will visit Pune tomorrow. He is closely monitoring the situation and the position is being reviewed periodically. The Home Ministry has issued an alert across the country asking people not to open any unattended object and to inform the police if they find any suspicious object. Pillai said the Union Home Ministry had issued an advisory to Maharashtra government informing it that the Osho Ashram was one of the sites surveyed by Headley. Headley, who was arrested by FBI at Chicago airport last year when he proceeding to board a flight to Pakistan, had visited a number of places in India, including the Mumbai terror attack targets. The site of this evening's blast, that destroyed the bakery, was littered with severed limbs and pools of blood. A number of victims were charred beyond recognition, making it difficult for authorities to ascertain their identity. Pune's Additional Commissioner of Police Prabhat Kumar said "it is a suspected terror attack and we are trying to find out the exact device used in the incident". Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said it was yet to be established as to what was the cause of the blast. He said he had talked to the Police Commissioner who told him that unless they examined the evidence on the scene of the blast they cannot come to any conclusion. He said initially it was thought to be a cylinder blast. Forensic experts are there at the site and the exact cause was yet to be ascertained, Chavan added. The Chief Minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh for the kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 for those injured. "I was travelling by an autorickshaw. I heard a loud explosion and the ground shook", said Santosh, one of the injured in the blast. An eyewitness said there was a loud bang which shook the entire area and "we saw a fire". source : Terror strikes Pune; 9 killed, 32 injured | NewsX [youtube]Yyixt6o7X_4[/youtube]
India must have to reitailiate Only defensive policies will not do. India must have to wipe out these terrorist at their roots. Besides, the sleeping cell active in India must be brought to book. India needs action not just suggestion. it's the time to act before it is too late.
May the souls of the dead R.I.P. This Maharashtra Government is full of worthless politicians. Damn jokers
Sad news. But most Indians do not really care about terrorism, including cities hit by such attacks. Civil society (media, NGOs, academia) etc are more interested in My name is Khan and attacking Shiva Sena, Sadhvi and others and generally after a few days out noise are will be acting as terrorist sympathizers. Of course, most love to make peace with Pakistan, just ask Shah rukh khan. venkat
Your anger is justified. However, right now.......A prayer for the dead would do just fine. May God rest their souls in peace!!!
Pune blast part of Lashkar's 'Karachi Project'? Investigators suspect the blast in Pune on Saturday was set off by Indian Mujahideen as part of the `Karachi Project' - a plot by the Lashkar-e-Taiba involving fugitive Indian jihadis and serving and retired officers of the Pakistan army aimed at keeping up the offensive against India. Sources in security agencies believe that the Southern Brigade of Indian Mujahideen which comprises absconding IM terrorists Abdus Subhan Qureshi and Mohsin Chaudhary - a Pune resident - could have been behind the explosion in the landmark German Bakery that left nine dead. The assessment is based on similarities with other terror attacks carried out by IM which was floated by Lashkar to camouflage its hand in the continued terror campaign against India. The date of the attack is part of the pattern that the group has followed since the serial blasts it engineered in Jaipur in 2008 - that is to strike either on 13th on 26th. The last five major attacks, including 26/11, have happened on these two dates. The only significant deviation was the attack in Bangalore on July 25, 2008. Second, they have always struck in the evening hours and have involved blasts, with the exception of 26/11 which was a frontal assault by Pakistani gunmen. But there are other reasons as well why agencies are veering around to the IM angle. The intelligence with them suggests that IM leaders who are part of the `Karachi Project' have been under pressure for sometime to resume their activities. As part of the project, which was revealed by American Lashkar jihadi David Headley to his FBI interrogators, fugitive IM leaders Bhatkal brothers - Riaz and Iqbal - Mufti Sufiyan and Rasool Parti are being sheltered in Karachi by Lashkar. Headley, who recceed Chabad House close to German Bakery, had also told FBI interrogators about serving and retired officers of Pakistan army being part of the project. Mohammad Amjad Khwaja, a leading IM jihadi from Hyderabad who was lodged in Pakistan by Lashkar as part of the Karachi Project and was recently arrested after reaching here, told his interrogators that he and his associates were shown videos of Pune's Osho Ashram and Mumbai's Blue Synagogue. The IM leaders could have settled on Pune also because the outfit has always had a strong presence in the city. Some of the prominent ones - techies Mohammed Mansoor Asgar Peerbhoy who headed the `media wing' of the group, Mohammad Atiq Mohammad Iqbal and Anik Shafiq Sayyad, and Anwar Abdulganj Bagwan, an MBBS doctor from a local hospital - are in prison. But Mohsin Chaudhary, known to agencies, along with other foot soldiers from the city and other parts of Maharashtra as well as Karnataka, have so far dodged the police hunt. Union home ministry identified the fugitives on the run as Mohammad Ali, Amin, Irfan and Abu Rashid. FBI's chargesheet against Headley also indicates that Pune was in the crosshairs of the Lashkar leadership. In an email to Headley, his Lashkar handler told him, "There are investment plans with me, not exactly at Rahul's city but near that. Rest we can decide when we meet according to your ease." As is known, `Rahul's city' has been established as referring to Mumbai. Another pointer to the Lashkar/IM connection is the speech made by Jamat-ud-Dawa's deputy chief Abdur Rehman Makki mentioning Pune along with Delhi and Kanpur as "fair targets" for attacks he said jehadis should launch in retaliation to what he alleged was India's denial of river waters to Pakistan. Intelligence agencies were intrigued by the reference to Pune as, unlike Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, or for that matter even Bangalore, the city is less likely to figure in the hate speech of a jehadi. For the same reason, authorities have decided to step up vigil in Kanpur, another entry on Makki's list of "fair targets". Like Pune, Kanpur is also home to militant Hindu outfits, another reason agencies feel why they attract the attention of jehadis. The IM got a big blow because of the arrest of its senior figures and elimination of others like Atif Amin - who was killed in the Batla House shootout. But agencies feel that those still at large - estimated to be over 20 - remain a threat and are crucial to the execution of Karachi Project. In the north, Arif alias Junaid, who escaped from Batla House, and Mirza Shadab remain active and are expected to carry out an attack on Indore according to Shahzad, the IM member who was recently arrested. Intelligence agencies working on the case felt that the likelihood of a local person in the blast appeared remote. "Most pointers to the blast suggest that it is the handiwork of terror elements from outside the city. The incident appears thoroughly well-planned and executed," an intelligence official said. Two ATS teams questioned at least six persons suspected of having direct or indirect links with the blast. According to sources, the ATS rounded up the suspects at Kondhwa, a senior police officer said. Sources with the Army's bomb disposal squad have hinted at the possibile use of RDX. ``Our first local tests are hinting at the presence of RDX. We have taken samples after the blasts and carried out tests on them. These tests confirmed RDX - plastic RDX to be precise. It was a blast triggered off by an improvised explosive device (IED),'' the sources told TOI. Pune blast part of Lashkar's 'Karachi Project'? - India - The Times of India
It is, no doubt, a terrorist attack. The terrorist attack is not aimed at individuals. There are many who believe that attack is the best way to defend. They tend to attack when they feel threatened. The daring and adventurous are easily tempted to vent their frustration by associating themselves with terrorism. They draw pleasure when their clandestine activity exposes the weaknesses of those in authority to match the expectations of the common man on the street. It is the duty and responsibility of all law abiding citizens to assist the enforcing agencies to identify the culprits. Let us not hesitate to pass on any information which might help nab the law breakers, instead of brooding over and blaming those in authority for their inaction. Joy Jacob.
It's not the time to pray man. It's the time to act. Can anyone suggest what should be the action plans for the citizens of India? India must have to find the solution at the sources. Terrorism must be wiped out at the root.
Upa government responsible When America was terrorized with 9/11 they immediately attacked Taliban al-quaida and terrorist bases in Afghanistan and elsewhere.since then no further attacks on American soil.We are repeatedly being attacked by terrorists and knowing fully well that who is behind it we have not taken any concrete steps to curb this Violence and Terrorism in India.
Thats a terrible news.. Indian government pays attention towards its nation when some big massacre happened.. untill then all sleep like a Indian Mythological character Kumbhakaran.. they need a voice of a blast to wake up and hear what is happening around..sad very sad!!!!
These things are becoming usual, aren’t they? Daily the news channels flash some terrorist attack somewhere of the other. These terrorists seem to be everywhere and attack at will. Sometimes I think, it’s their country or ours? The attack in Pune will definitely be followed by a similar one and the government will not be able to do anything about it. This has gradually sunk into our hearts, and are becoming regular incidents.
German bakery blasts How could anyone have thought that a cool hangout place like the German bakery can be a terror target? Like everyday tourists and locals flocked there for their gossips and meals and the inevitable happened. Later the police said that they had clues about it but couldn’t act in time somehow. 9 innocent and cheerful lives were lost as a result.
