Israeli foreign ministry on Tuesday claimed that an explosion occurred near its embassy in New Delhi. It said that none of its staff members were injured in the blast. The Delhi police, however, have not confirmed any explosion near the embassy.
A letter directed to the Israeli ambassador was discovered near the embassy shortly after reports of an explosion emerged. Reports said that the typed letter is of a "abusive" nature. Nevertheless, investigators have yet to uncover any evidence of an actual explosion at the site.
Earlier, Delhi Police and fire services swiftly responded to the Israeli Embassy in the national capital following a call reporting a bomb blast near the Israeli mission.
Police have not found any objectionable material
Delhi Police said they have received a call about blast near the Israeli mission. Reports suggested that the caller informed about a blast in an empty plot behind the embassy in Delhi's Chanakyapuri area. The police have not yet found any objectionable material from the area and are probing the matter.
Soon after the information surfaced, a team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) rushed to the spot.
Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Services, said, "So far nothing has been found at the location."
Israeli foreign ministry says there was an explosion
Israel's foreign ministry claimed that there had been an explosion near its embassy in India’s New Delhi. The ministry said all the embassy staff were unharmed. It said that local authorities were investigating the incident and it has been cooperating with them.
"We can confirm that around 5:20 there was a blast at close proximity to the embassy," Guy Nir, Israel Embassy, Delhi Spokesperson told Reuters.
"There was a blast, we heard it. We are waiting for the information, security investigation is underway," Nir told news channel Republic TV.
Ohad Nakash Kaynar, Deputy Ambassador of Israel to India, released a video statement. "This is evening several minutes after 5, an explosion occurred in close proximity of the Embassy. All our diplomats and workers are safe. Our security teams are working in full cooperation with local Delhi security and they will investigate the matter further," Kaynar said.
Explosion had occurred outside Israeli Embassy two years back
Two years ago, an explosion occurred outside Israel's embassy in New Delhi, causing damage to cars but resulting in no injuries. India has attributed the attack to the Quds Force branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In a separate incident in February 2012, the wife of the Israeli military attaché was injured in a car bomb attack in New Delhi. Indian police concluded that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps was responsible for the bombing, part of a series of attempted attacks against Israeli targets globally during that period.
