Taiwanese tourists hurt in Jama Masjid shootout

NEW DELHI: Two Taiwanese tourists were injured when two men on a motorcycle fired several rounds on a tourist vehicle near Jama Masjid on Sunday morning.

The Indian Mujahideen (IM) claimed responsibility for the attack. Triggering a scare, ahead of the Commonwealth Games, seemed to be the motive of the attackers.

An e-mail sent to media organisations said: ``The attack is a tribute to Atif Amin and Mohammed Sajid.” Amin and Sajid were IM operatives killed by the police in the Batla House encounter soon after the Delhi serial blasts of September 2008.

``We are warning you. If you have the guts, organise the Commonwealth Games...We know that preparations are on full swing. Be prepared...We are also making preparations...The participants in the Games will be responsible for the outcome,’’ the e-mail said. The statement also denounced the killings of civilians in J&K.

An officer with an intelligence agency said the tone and tenor of the e-mail’s content pointed to IM.
Believed to be a shadow amalgam of Simi and Lashkar-e-Toiba, IM has been declared a terrorist organisation by the government and has claimed responsibility for several terror attacks in the country including blasts in Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Pune.

Sunday being a holiday, the Jama Masjid area was swarming with people when the firing occurred. The attackers fled the site after firing. It was apparent that they wanted to create panic.

The incident came as a jolt to the security establishment, which has been busy making elaborate plans to put in place a protective ring around the Games and participants so as to ensure a trouble-free event. The 13-day-long sporting affair gets underway on October 3.

A red alert has been sounded across the Capital, as also in Mumbai, in the wake of the firing incident. The two bikers are said to have fired 7-8 rounds on the bus parked adjacent to Gate No 3 of the historic mosque, and a hundred metres away from Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari’s house at around 11.10 am.

The two Taiwanese tourists, who bore the brunt of their attack — Zesewein Ku (27) and Chiang Ka(28) — were rushed to the Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan Hospital. Zesewein had a miraculous escape as the bullet grazed his head, while the latter was hit in the right abdomen. Both were reported to be stable.

Home minister P Chidambaram visited the LNJP Hospital later in the day, and inquired about their health. He also spoke to senior officials and medical professionals present there.

The two Taiwanese nationals were part of a six-member group which arrived in the Capital on Saturday. They were scheduled to leave for Jaipur on Tuesday and then visit Agra and return to the Capital on September 27 on their way back.

Delhi Police Joint Commissioner (Northern Range) Karnal Singh told newspersons that the four cartridges found at the spot showed that the weapon used could be .38 calibre revolver.

But the rounds of fire recovered were also of 9 mm, which can be used in pistol or carbine, he said refusing to hazard a guess on the motive of the attackers. ``We are looking into all angles and we cannot jump to conclusions. It appears to be done to create panic,’’ he said. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit shared the views, and appealed to the people to maintain calm.

``I am in constant touch with the police commissioner. The police are investigating into the incident and culprits will be caught. Everything is under control,’’ the chief minister said.

Asked whether it was a security scare ahead of the October 3-14 sporting extravaganza Ms Dikshit said, ``This has been a very sad incident...an incident like this is something worrying but nothing to panic about.’’ It would be incorrect to presume, the chief minister said, that the two particular individuals were targeted as the attackers fired on the tourist bus.

``Lots of security measures have already been taken. But wherever there is an inadequacy about it, that hole has to be plugged,’’ she added.