| 2010 Jama Masjid attack | |
|---|---|
| Location | Jama Masjid, Delhi, India |
| Date | September 19, 2010 11:30[1] (UTC+05:30) |
| Attack type | Shooting, failed car bomb |
| Injured | 2 |
| Suspected perpetrator | Indian Mujahideen |
The 2010 Jama Masjid attack occurred on September 19, 2010 when two gunmen on a motorcycle fired at a tourist bus near Gate 3 of the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, India and injured two Taiwanese tourists. The incident provoked fears about security for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi. About three hours later a car parked approximately 150 meters from the spot caught fire, apparently caused by a minor blast.[2]
Two bike-borne terrorists opened fire at a stationary tourist bus purportedly carrying a TV crew from Taiwan at 11:24 pm, near Gate 3 of Jama Masjid. A explosive-laden device was planted in a Maruti 800 car, parked near a transformer near the mosque. The car had approximately 20 litres of fuel in its tank, which would have cause considerable damage if it had succeeded in exploding, but bomb timers failed and it did not go off.[3] There were two victims of the shootout, Zeseweiu (27) and Chiang (28), both Taiwanese citizens. Zeseweiu head was grazed by a bullet while trying to escape, while Chiang was shot in the abdomen and had to be operated on. They were stated to be out of danger the next day when the state CM and Union Home Minister paid a visit on them; they are likely to be discharged from the hospital soon.[4]
The attack is significant because it took place on the second anniversary of the Batla House encounter on September 19, 2008, in which Atif Amin, the chief bomber of the Indian Mujahideen was killed. This had dealt a severe blow to the group, which had been blamed earlier for terror attacks between 2007 and 2009, in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur Surat and Faizabad. According to investigating agencies, the revival of the group was announced in an email to the media, with the intention of avenging the killed terrorists.[5][6]
Subsequent police investigations revealed that one of the timers of the cooker bomb was timed at exactly 11:37 am, the time when the Batla House encounter had taken place two years before on the same day, in which two Indian Mujahideen (IM) terrorists, Atif Amin and Mohd Sajid, were killed.[3]
The incident took place barely 200 meters away from the Jama Masjid police station, and at the time of the shooting, the cops from PCR van stationed at gate number 3 had gone to settle a family brawl nearby in the Khankhana street, in the Machli Bazar area, allowing the bikers to flee. The control room received the call barely half an hour later. In a security lapse, the 20 CCTVs which were installed near the Masjid, were found to lying defunct. The cameras had been installed on April 14, 2006, after the twin blasts at the Masjid.[3] According to the police, the terrorists were divided in two groups; the first reached the spot on a motorcycle and the second group followed them in a Maruti car, which later caught fire due to the "crudely-assembled" pressure cooker bomb in it. Police detained 30 people for questioning.[2]
Subsequent investigations revealed that the revelatory email was sent through a SIM card connection whose location was traced to Borivali. It was purchased by a man in his 20s, from a shop in the Dadar Truck Terminus area in Mumbai, and the police were looking for a man from Beed in Maharashtra, who had furnished a driver's license and a pan card under the name "Purva Shinde".[7]
On 30th November, 2011, the Delhi Police arrested six suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives whom they claimed to be the perpetrators of the 2010 Pune bombing, the Chinnaswamy stadium blast and the 2010 Jama Masjid attack. One Pakistani national was also reported to have been arrested[8][9]. Two of the seven people were arrested in Chennai and were identified by the Delhi Police as Mohammad Irshad Khan (age 50) and Abdul Rahman (age 19), hailing from Madhubani district of Bihar[10]. Another individual - Ghayur Jamil - a student at a madarsa in Darbhanga was also arrested from Madhubani on the charge of recruiting youths from near the Indo-Nepal border for terrorist activities, Abdul Rahman being one of such recruits[11]. This charge was disputed by Jamil's father who billed him as a good orator and an honest, religious man who had lost a bag containing his belongings - including his PAN card, residential proof and photos - a few days back[12].