Delhi embassy blast: Police lens on 2 youths; Israel issues travel advisory

The Delhi Police has intensified its probe into a low-intensity blast that occurred near the Israel Embassy on Tuesday (December 26) evening, and two youths were reportedly caught on camera walking on the road close to the spot shortly before the explosion.

The police have also beefed up security in the national capital after the blast near the embassy in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave, an official said.

Areas around the Israel embassy and Jewish establishments in Delhi have been put under the watch of the security personnel. The local police have been asked to increase the vigil in the national capital, an official said Wednesday.

CCTV footage recovered

According to police sources, CCTV footage have been recovered from near the spot in which two youths were found walking on the road, shortly before the blast. “It is yet to be ascertained whether they are suspects,” the officer said.

The security agencies have collected multiple CCTV footage from the lanes of Abdul Kalam Road and Prithviraj Road.

After the police control room (PCR) received a call about a “loud sound” from Jindal House behind the embassy at 5.53 pm on Tuesday, teams of Crime Branch, bomb disposal squad, dog squad, and forensic department were rushed to the spot, officials said.

Israeli embassy spokesperson Guy Nir said, “We can confirm that around 5.48 pm, there was a blast in close proximity to the embassy.”

An almost three-hour-long search operation was carried out in the area. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team also examined the site, a senior police officer in New Delhi said.

Letter found

Police sources said a typed letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador was found near the explosion site behind the embassy premises. The letter is “abusive” in nature. It has been sent to the forensic lab to check for fingerprints, they said.

“It’s a one-page letter written in English. It is suspected to be related to some organisation with name of Sir Allah Resistance, and the words like Zionists, Palestine, and Gaza mentioned in the letter,” a police source said on Tuesday.

The explosion and the recovery of the letter were a grim reminder of the 2021 blast near the embassy in which some cars were damaged. The NIA had probed the case.

“Experts have examined the spot and lifted exhibits that may have evidentiary relevance. Those are being sent for forensic examination,” Delhi Police said in a statement, adding that further investigation is underway.

Another officer said no traces of burnt explosives were found at the spot. Security officials who visited the spot said since no remnants of the explosive were found at the spot, the possibility of a “chemical explosion” cannot be ruled out.

Travel advisory issued

The Israeli National Security Council has issued a travel advisory for its citizens in India, suspecting that an explosion near the Israeli embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday (December 26) was “a possible terror attack”.

The recommendations of the Israeli National Security Council (NSC) on Tuesday, which come amid concerns of a “recurrence of events”, apply especially to New Delhi. Israeli nationals have been warned to try to avoid going to crowded places (malls and markets) and places identified as serving Westerners/Jews and Israelis. They have also been urged to be on heightened alert in public places (including restaurants, hotels, pubs, etc).

The recommendations also suggest avoiding openly displaying Israeli symbols, refraining from attending unsecured large-scale events, and avoiding publicising itineraries on social media as well as photographs and details of visits in real-time.

Alert for Israelis

The Israeli Foreign Ministry, in a press statement earlier on Tuesday, said that there were no casualties in the explosion. “The incident is under investigation by the local authorities in full cooperation with the Israeli security forces,” the ministry said.

After the incident, security was further beefed up around the embassy and other Israeli establishments, according to officials.

Earlier this month, the NSC warned Israelis to reconsider all their travel abroad and called on those who do need to travel overseas to avoid outward displays of their Jewish and Israeli identities amid rising antisemitism around the world amidst the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas militant group in Gaza. In the past, too, the Israeli embassy and its staff have come under attack in New Delhi.

There was an explosion outside the Israeli embassy in 2021 in which cars were damaged, but no casualties were reported.

In February 2012, the wife of an Israeli security staff at the embassy was injured in an attack on her car in New Delhi.

Security has been high around the Israel embassy in New Delhi since the war between Israel and Hamas began earlier this year, security officials said.

(With agency inputs)