Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Twelve people were reported killed and 62 people injured in a terrorist attack outside gate number 5 of Delhi High Court, in India’s capital New Delhi at around 10:15am (4:45 am GMT) on Wednesday.

According to home secretary RK Singh, the explosives were hidden in a briefcase placed in the reception of the high court. At that moment hundreds of people were present on the site to get passes to attend court cases. Islamic fundamentalist organization Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami claimed the responsibility for these blasts. In an email sent to the media, the group demanded immediate repeal of the the death penalty given to Mohammed Afzal Guru, a terrorist involved in the attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001. They also warned that they could target other high courts and the Supreme Court of India.

Victims injured in the attack have been taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, and Safdarjang Hospital. As the accident site is not far from the Parliament and the Prime Minister’s Office, the Delhi Police have cordoned off the area.

Politicians including the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L. K. Advani, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi, Indian National Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and BJP president Nitin Gadkari have condemned the attacks, as have numerous celebrities on Twitter.

“My heart goes out to the bereaved families and to those who are injured I convey my best wishes,” Manmohan Singh said in a statement to the Indian journalists accompanying him on his two-day Bangladesh visit.