Top intelligence and security officials involved in investigating the 13/2 magnetic bomb attack on Israeli diplomat Tal Yehoshua indicated on Monday that the needle of suspicion was pointing toward a Iranian-back terrorist outfit.
New Delhi is, however, waiting for further evidence before conveying this to Tehran. The Indian investigating agencies rubbished claims in the Israeli media that though the case was cracked, clearly highlighting Iranian involvement, they were deliberately keeping it under wraps due to India’s good diplomatic relations with Iran.
Sources said categorically the case was far from solved. Government sources said New Delhi was in no hurry to put the blame at Iran’s doorstep till the investigation was over and foolproof evidence obtained.
The investigations were reviewed in the highest quarters of the government Monday, with even the national security adviser kept informed given the strong diplomatic backlash the case might invite.
A senior official said: "There is no denying that we have made significant progress, with some indications pointing towards an Iranian-backed outfit with support from a local module. But there is
no concrete evidence to support this. In any investigation, specially in such a sensitive case, things keep changing ... What if this theory turns on its head once the probe is over. Look at what
happened in the Malegaon blast case."
Sources said there were some leads pointing to the actual bomber, which were being aggressively pursued.