Pune:
Investigators believe they have definite leads about Pune's bomb attack. The prime suspect, sources say, is Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba, but with elements of the Indian Mujahideen (IM).
The bomb has the signature style of the IM. An initial report says the explosive is a mixture of Amonium Nitrate maybe mixed with RDX.
(List: 9 killed, including 2 foreigners; 60 injured)
But the biggest lead could be from David Headley, the Pak-born US citizen, linked to the Lashkar-e-Toiba.
(Read and watch: Did David Headley plan the Pune blast?)He visited India just before 26/11 and even after that. He was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in October 2009.
He had surveyed Chhabad house and Osho ashram in Pune. Once he was arrested in the US, these places, seen as "hard" targets were put on alert and got police cover but "soft" targets like the German bakery barely 100 feet away didn't.
Talking about a possible Headley link, Home Minister P Chidambaram said: "Ifhe is behind the blast we will have to find out. We can't rule out orrule in anything yet."
"Irrespective of what happened in Pune yesterday, Government of Indiais pursuing the case of access to David Headley but that is tied up ina lot of legal problems. He has been indicted by a grand jury inChicago. There are number of legal problems there but we have not givenup our case that we must be given access to Headley for interrogation,"he said.
When asked whether the state government didn't take the advice seriously, Chidambaram said, "No, not correct. The state government has taken the advice seriously. Police had put in place security measures in the hard targets like Chhabad house and Osho ashram and some places like the hotel have their own security systems."
(Read: Did Maha govt do enough with Headley alert?)"I think, everyone was aware that it was a vulnerable area and it is an unfortunate incident it was on the radar of terrorists and not an intelligence failure," he added.
(Read and watch: No intelligence failure, says Chidambaram)So, what do investigators believe is Headley's link to the Pune blast?
- After Headley's survey, sleeper cells were placed in cities like Pune.
- Some of the members of these cells were IM remnants, some new.
- Leadership and funding remains with Lashkar.
- These sleeper cells are like human 'pre-timed devices' or PTDs.
So, India on Sunday put pressure on the US, to give access to David Headley.
There are number of legal problems there but we have not given up our case that we must be given access to David Headley for interrogation," said the Home Minister.
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