Indian authorities on Sunday announced the arrest of a man they believe was involved in a car bombing in Delhi last week that killed 10 and injured at least 20.
Authorities said they were treating the blast as a “terrorist incident”, carried out by a “suicide bomber”.
They identified the driver of the vehicle that exploded as a resident of Kashmir. The man is believed to be an assistant professor in general medicine at a university in the northern state of Haryana.
Control over the region of Kashmir is divided between Pakistan and India, who have disputed it since the two countries were formed in 1947.
The car blast in Delhi occurred near a busy metro station near the Red Fort, one of India’s most famous sites and a major tourist attraction.
Alleged ‘accomplice’ arrested
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the attack was a “conspiracy”, vowing to bring “the perpetrators, their associates and their sponsors” to justice.
India’s counter-terrorism bureau, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), said the arrested suspect was the driver’s accomplice and his detention is “a breakthrough” in the investigation.
The car involved in the attack was registered in the name of the suspect arrested on Sunday.
A statement from the counter-terrorism agency said he had “travelled from Kashmir to Delhi to facilitate the procurement of a car, which was ultimately used as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) to trigger the blast.”
The blast near Delhi’s historic Red Fort is the first incident of mass violence in the heavily guarded city since 2011.
Edited by: Shawn Sinico