Indian journalist arrested over Israeli diplomatic vehicle bombingMarch 7, 2012 - 16:02 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Police arrested an Indian journalist in connection with last month's bombing of an Israeli diplomatic vehicle in New Delhi, authorities said Wednesday, March 7, the first apparent breakthrough in an attack that Israel accused Iran of orchestrating. Though Indian authorities have not implicated Iran in the bombing, any leads that point in that direction could complicate India's delicate efforts to ward off growing Western pressure and maintain its strong economic ties with Tehran. Energy-starved India remains a large market for Iranian oil, and those purchases could blunt the effect of intensified sanctions being imposed by the U.S. and E.U. to force Iran to roll back its nuclear ambitions. According to The Associated Press, police arrested Syed Mohammed Kazmi on Tuesday after investigations showed he had been in touch with a suspect they believe may have stuck a magnetic bomb on an Israeli diplomat's car, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said. Police said they searched Kazmi's house over the past two days to gather evidence that might link him to the Feb. 13 attack, which wounded the diplomat's wife, her driver and two other people in a nearby car. Police did not say what evidence they found. Kazmi, 50, was being questioned and was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday before being handed over to officials of the investigating agencies for further questioning, Bhagat said. It was not immediately clear which news organizations Kazmi has worked for. The New Delhi blast came the same day a bomb was discovered on an Israeli diplomat's car in former soviet republic of Georgia. The next day, three Iranians accidentally blew up their house in Thailand, and Israeli authorities said the similarity between their explosives and the two earlier bombs linked Iran to all three incidents. Indian officials have refused to assign blame while the investigation continues. Israel has accused Iran of waging a covert campaign of state terrorism and has threatened military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.   Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot".   Partner news |  Latest news Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation  Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.“Great success”: Pashinyan pleased with new border protocol Pashinyan has described the signing by Armenia and Azerbaijan of a protocol on delimitation in Tavush as “a great success”.Armenia, Azerbaijan sign protocol on demarcation coordinates Armenia’s government took on May 15 another step towards handing over four border areas to Azerbaijan.Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children |
