Investigations by Indian intelligence agencies into the magnetic bomb attack targeting an Israeli diplomat have thrown up some startling revelations. Indian agencies have come across credible evidence showing Masoud Sedaghatzdeh, the Iranian mastermind behind the Delhi and Bangkok blasts, had created similar modules in other countries targeting Israeli interests.
These nations are in Southeast Asia, West Asia, Europe and Central Asia, particularly in former Soviet republics, where Sedaghatzdeh successfully managed to develop a network of sleeper cells and sympathisers with local support.
The agencies, during the investigation, stumbled upon a SIM card used by Houshang Afshar Irani, the actual bomber, to stay in touch with Sedaghatzdeh. A detailed forensic examination of the SIM card showed that Irani made several calls with this card to his counterparts and modules in different countries.
The Indian agencies have informed Israel’s Mossad, with which they have been working closely, of the locations and the numbers to which these calls were made or received.
Several of these modules were to strike around the time of the New Delhi, Tbilisi and Bangkok blasts, but were put on hold as the Bangkok attack didn’t go as planned and Sedaghatzdeh’s identity got revealed. Though he escaped from Bangkok, he was later caught in Malaysia.