NEW DELHI: Gunmen on a motorbike shot at a tourist bus near the main mosque in the Indian capital on Sunday, wounding two Taiwanese visitors, weeks before the city hosts the Commonwealth Games.
"The two men were wearing helmets and raincoats. They fired indiscriminately at a tourist bus before escaping," K. Singh, a senior police officer in Delhi, told Reuters.
Six Taiwanese nationals were boarding the bus on a visit to Jama Masjid when the shooting happened, the vehicle's driver said. The historic mosque in the old, congested part of the capital is one of Delhi's most popular tourist attractions.
Police said they detained a young man who owned the motorcycle used in the shooting. He lives in the Vasant Kunj area of south Delhi.
An e-mail purportedly from the Indian Mujahideen, a homegrown militant group, was sent to the BBC just after the attack. The statement threatened attacks on the Games and criticized India for alleged oppression in Kashmir.
"We know preparations for the games are at its peak. Beware we too are preparing in full swing for a great surprise," said the e-mail, published on the BBC Hindi service website.
Security has been tightened in the capital before the Games, with authorities mindful of militant attacks in Indian cities over recent years in which dozens have been killed.
Police would not confirm whether militants were behind the latest attack. "There was some firing outside Gate No. 3 of Jama Masjid," Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said. "We can't say whether it was a militant attack. We suspect it is a disgruntled gang of criminals who planned this attack basically to discredit the Delhi police".
Arab News
