Briefcase bomb at Delhi high court kills 11, HuJI claims responsibility

Latest:

Special Secretary Internal Security, UK Bansal said that the death toll is 11, while 76 are injured and two are serious in the blast outside Delhi High Court.

There may have been possible use of nitrate-based explosives laced with PETN in Delhi blast, he said.

"NIA has asked the Delhi government and Delhi police to assist with the blast probe," added Bansal.

Earlier:

The death toll in Delhi high court blast has risen to 11 and 64 people are injured, out of which 15 are serious, Home Ministry sources told PTI.

Eleven have been reported dead at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the capital.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit just visited the hospital and announced compensation for the dead and injured. She said that the Delhi police was shocked at the incident and requested people to let the investigations take place.

BJP President, who also visited the RML hospital condemned the blast and said that it was unfortunate that such an incident took place when the parliament was in session.

He said that the government needed to rethink its strategy against terrorism.

Earlier:

The blast toll has gone up to 10, while 65 have been reported to be injured in the blast outside Delhi High Court.

NIA, NSG, Forensic team reach blast site.

Delhi Police sources said that they suspect use of potassium nitrate in the bomb. The bomb was apparently kept in a brief case, said an official.

Home Minister P Chidambaram will be making an official statement at 12:30pm.

PTI:

Terror struck Delhi when nine people were killed and at least 45 injured in a blast this morning outside the High Court premises jampacked with visitors waiting to get entry passes.

Union Home Ministry RK Singh said the blast was of "medium to high intensity" and created a "deep crater" at the site of explosion at the reception area between Gate No.4 and 5 of Delhi High Court. The blast occurred around 1015 AM.

Asked whether the blast was a terror strike, Singh said "it had all the makings of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) set up by a terror group."

Singh said 45 people were injured with some eyewitnesses saying some of the injured were in a critical condition.

Special Commissioner Dharmendra Kumar told reporters the bomb was apparently kept in a briefcase.

It was the second blast in four months outside the High Court premises. No one was injured in the previous explosion on May 25.

The Gate No 5 was crowded with 100 to 200 people waiting in queue to get entry passes. There were several lawyers at the spot.

"We are investigating how the brief case was placed there It is not a controlled area. There were lots of people," said Kumar.

Delhi police suspected use of potassium nitrate in the bomb.

Court proceedings were adjourned till 2pm. The main court premises where all the courtrooms are housed have been evacuated.

Singh said the bomb was kept in a suitcase since some of its remains were still in it.

He said all the injured have been rushed to RML, Safdarjung and AIIMS hospitals. Many of them suffered burn injuries.

Singh said there was no prior intelligence input about a possible attack at Delhi High Court. The blast happened in a public area where anyone can just come and drop a suitcase and walk away, he added.

Teams of National Investigating Agency(NIA), National Security Guards(MSG) and Forensic department have been rushed to the spot.

Court business is usually heavy on Wednesday which is listed as a Public Interest Litation(PIL) day when the visitors come to the court in large numbers.

Ambulances and fire tenders were also rushed.

An explosion on May 25 triggered panic prompting the authorities to sound a high alert in the capital and tighten security at public places. No one was injured.

Low-intensity explosives, wrapped in a polythene bag and kept close to the car parked near Gate No. 7, went off around 1.30pm. Ammonium nitrate, a battery-like object, wires and some nails were found at the site by forensic experts.

The previous worst terror attack in the Capital was on September 13, 2008 when a series of five synchronised bomb blasts took place within a span of few minutes at various locations in Delhi. 30 people killed and over 100 injured in this strike.