Delhi bomb blast

Manu Oza has been arrested in the northern district of Patan for sending a bogus email claiming responsibility of the September 7 Delhi attack on behalf of a militant group. It was sent to the Delhi police a day after the blast outside the Delhi High Court killed 13 people and injured 91.

According to Delhi Police Commissioner S.K. Sinha, Oza had claimed responsibility for the attack, identifying himself as Ali Saed El-Hoorie, a member of the terrorist organization, Indian Mujahideen (IM).

The email was sent using a proxy server in Moscow. The police commissioner says El-Hoorie had been at the top of the US' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of most-wanted list with a "reward of five million US dollars on his head."

'Inconclusive leads'

Police have also investigated an email in which the Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (HUJI), a militant group active in Pakistan and Bangladesh with ties to al Qaeda, claim responsibility for the attack. It was traced to an internet cafe in India-administered Kashmir and three people were detained shortly after the blast. Five more people have been taken in for questioning in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal states.

Authorities face growing criticism over weak counter-terrorism efforts and intelligence gathering as security experts have warned of more terrorist strikes. Federal Home Minister P. Chidambaram says the investigators have secured "promising, but not conclusive" leads.

Author: Manasi Gopalakrishnan (PTI, dpa)
Editor: Sarah Berning