ISRAEL SAYS there is no doubt that Iran was behind three separate terrorist incidents in recent days, in India, Georgia and Thailand, and called on the international community to unite against Teheran.
“It harms innocent diplomats in many countries and the nations of the world must condemn Iran’s terror actions and demarcate red lines against Iranian aggression. If such aggression is not stopped it will spread to many countries,” said prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
The authorities in Thailand yesterday charged two Iranians who were detained shortly after a series of explosions on Tuesday in Bangkok. One of the suspects, who remains unconscious, lost a leg when a bomb he was carrying exploded prematurely, and his other leg had to be amputated.
A second man was arrested at Bangkok airport trying to board a flight to Malaysia. Both men were charged with illegal possession of explosives, causing explosions and attempted murder.
A third suspect, also carrying an Iranian passport, was arrested in Malaysia trying to board a flight to Iran. Thailand has requested his extradition.
The Thai authorities said they were examining possible links between Tuesday’s incidents and the explosion the previous day in New Delhi that destroyed an Israeli embassy vehicle, and the attempted attack on an Israeli diplomatic car in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
A senior Thai security official confirmed that the bombs in Bangkok and New Delhi both had the same “magnetic sheets”.
Israel’s ambassador to Thailand Itzhak Shoham said the Thai police defused two sticky bombs. “They are similar to the ones used in Delhi and in Tbilisi. From that, we can assume that there is the same network of terror,” he said.
Indian police detained five suspects for questioning on suspicion of involvement in the New Delhi attack and have also found a red motorcycle believed to be the vehicle driven by the assailant who placed the sticky bomb on the embassy vehicle before speeding away.
Indian media reported that the police were also able to identify the assailant using footage from CCTV cameras positioned on the Israeli embassy’s street. Indian police officials said security camera footage revealed the face of the attacker.
However, Indian officials said it was premature to determine who was behind the blast which injured the wife of the Israeli military attaché.
“The Indian government does not have any evidence pointing to any individual, entity, organisation or country being involved in Monday’s blast, so far,” a foreign ministry spokesman said.
Teheran denied the Israeli allegations and Iranian state television quoted foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying that Israel was behind the explosions.
“The main goal of the Zionist regime is to conceal its real essence in carrying out terrorist acts, particularly assassinating Iran’s scientists,” the state news agency IRNA quoted Mr Mehmanparast as saying.