Three Serial Terrorist Bomb Explosions Shakes Mumbai (Bombay) Again

Three serial bomb explosions have shaken the Mumbai (Bombay) city again. All three blasts took place today (July 13, 2011) during rush hour period in the evening, between 6:30 to 7:00 pm (IST) in crowded places. The explosions were at Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and Dadar. Initial reports confirm that about 13 people died due to the bomb explosions and more than 100 public are feared to be injured.

Picture showing the places where the bombs exploded in Mumbai.

The Maharashtra state police have confirmed that every thing is under control and there is no need to panic. Reports also indicate that a BSF (Border Security Force) aircraft with the National Security Guard (NSG) Commandos, National Investigation Agency (NIA) team and forensic experts from New Delhi is expected to reach Mumbai shortly.

Some news sources have reported that one unexploded bomb has been found in Dadar which has been subsequently defused.

It is assumed that Improvised Explosion Devices (IEDs) have been used for these explosions. Terrorist groups like The Indian Mujahideen's and/or Lashkar-e-Taiba are thought to be behind these attacks. Involvement of Al Qaeda and/or Taliban fractions also can not be ruled out. It is understood that the Indian intelligence agencies had some clues that some terrorists groups may be in preparation for an attack. Some sources indicate that the US intelligence agencies have also informed Indian authorities against a possible attack in India after the death of Osama bin Laden. It seems that the authorities could not take any action as they lacked any solid information about the location and/or time of such an attack.

India on High Alert

Major cities in India including Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras) and the Indian IT hubs like Bangalore and Hyderabad have been put on a high alert after the explosions. All the States and Union Territories in India are also on high alert.

Some sources indicate that the blasts coincide with the birthday of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the sole surviving terrorist from the 2008 Mumbai attacks. It may be also noted that it is just 2 days past the 5th anniversary of 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks which killed nearly 170 people.