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3 arrested over Mumbai blasts
21/07/2006 08:35 - (SA)
Mumbai - Indian police investigating the Mumbai train bombings have arrested three men, the first arrests in the case, India's NDTV news channel reported on Friday.
Police were interrogating the men about their roles in the July 11 bombings that killed 207 people and wounded more than 800, NDTV reported.
Two of the men were arrested in the northern state of Bihar late on Thursday and the third man was arrested in Mumbai early on Friday, NDTV said, quoting police sources.
Investigators have detained hundreds of people across the country for questioning since the bombings, but these three are the first to be formally arrested. The men were set to appear in a Mumbai court later on Friday, NDTV said.
Mumbai police refused to confirm the report, but said they planned to hold a briefing on the investigation later on Friday.
Islamic militants blamed
Police and officials have repeatedly suggested Islamic militants fighting Indian
rule in Kashmir - namely the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba -are behind the blasts.
Kashmir is a predominantly Muslim Himalayan territory divided between India and Pakistan, and is claimed in entirety by both nuclear-armed countries.
The arrests come a day after a top official in the Maharashtra state, whose capital is Mumbai, said security across the state had been tightened amid threats of more terror plots.
Intelligence reports indicate that houses of worship, historical sites, business establishments and places where large crowds gather could also be targeted, said AP Sinha, a top official in the state's home ministry.
- AP
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