No explosives found at site of blast near Israel embassy, say Delhi police; scans of CCTV, mobile data ongoing

Two people seen roaming area near site of low-intensity blast, but not yet identified as suspects; “abusive” letter addressed to Israeli ambassador found near site sent for forensic analysis

Areas around the Israel embassy and Jewish establishments in Delhi have been put under the watch of the security personnel. The local police have been asked to increase the vigil in the national capital, an official said on December 27, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI

The Delhi police have scanned CCTV cameras and investigated the “end-to-end encrypted calls” of all active mobile numbers around the capital’s Prithviraj Road as part of their probe into the low-intensity blast that took place near the Israeli Embassy on Tuesday evening. However, they have not been able to establish the source of explosive nor recovered any explosive material from the garden space where the blast occurred, the police said on Wednesday.

A guard at the Central Hindi Training Institute, adjacent to the Embassy, reportedly heard a loud noise at the location on Tuesday evening. As dog squads and crime teams continued to quarter the area, Delhi police officers said that their probe has intensified after two people were seen on the CCTV footage, roaming around the area before the blast. However, they have not been identified and it has not yet been ascertained if they are suspects, an officer said.

‘Abusive’ letter

A letter addressed to the Israeli Ambassador which was found at the spot on Tuesday evening, along with a flag, has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory to check for fingerprints, police sources said, adding that the one-page letter, typewritten in English, contained “abusive” words, and mentions of Zionists, Palestine, and Gaza. The police suspect that the letter is related to an organisation called Sir Allah Resistance, the sources said.

Israel’s deputy ambassador to India Ohad Nakash Kaynar said that the incident took place in the Embassy’s proximity after 5 p.m. “All the diplomats and workers are safe, security teams are working in full cooperation with local security and the matter is being investigated,” he said.

Extra security

Apart from CCTV footage, the police are tracing end-to-end encrypted calls with the dump data of numbers active around the spot, an officer said. “Police will also communicate with social media applications to seek help with further investigation, depending on the probe,” the officer added.

Security around the city has also been increased, with additional security forces being deployed near the border areas for law and order purposes, due to the upcoming festive season, an officer said. “We are also checking the registration number of each vehicle that passed around the stretch along with entry and exit points of the stretch, only to find out leads,” the officer added.