An investigation team of Delhi Police’s Special Cell on Saturday visited the blast site near the Israeli Embassy to collect more evidence as part of its ongoing probe. Forensic experts have also collected some samples from the crime scene that will ascertain the chemical composition used in the low-intensity improvised explosive device (IED).
Official sources said ball bearings seized from the spot were found scattered on the ground and the impact of the explosion was felt within a radius of 20-25 metres.
The minor blast took place on Friday evening in a high-security zone of the national capital. No one was injured.
The bomb appeared to have been planted in a flower pot on the road divider, police said. An envelope addressed to the Israeli Embassy and containing a note was found at the site of the blast.
The letter, addressed “to Israel Embassy ambassador”, contains a threat and describes the explosion as a “trailer”, the sources said. It also refers to two “Iranian martyrs”, Qasem Soleimani and Dr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the sources said.
Maj Gen Soleimani, who was assassinated in a United States drone strike in January 2020, was Iran’s most powerful general.
Fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated in November last year, was Iran’s top nuclear scientist. Tehran believes he was killed by Israel using a remote-control weapon.
A 10-member team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) had on Friday visited the blast site and collected residues which include metallic swab and ball bearings.
Delhi Police Commissioner SN Shrivastava too had visited the site in the evening and took stock of the situation.
All materials seized from the spot have been handed over to the investigating officer of the Delhi Police, a source said.
“We are yet to receive the samples collected from the spot. Once the investigating officer submits the samples conclusively, we will be sending them to our explosives team. Only a chemical test will help us identify the exact composition of the samples,” FSL sources said.
The blast took place when President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were present a few kilometres away at the Beating Retreat ceremony at the culmination of the Republic Day celebrations.
Investigators have scanned footage retrieved from CCTV cameras installed nearby and spotted a vehicle moving suspiciously near the embassy just before the explosion, sources said.
The explosion took place on a day when India and Israel marked the completion of the 29th anniversary of establishment of their diplomatic relations.
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