Explosion heard near Israeli embassy in New Delhi: reports

 

(Web report )An explosion was reported near the Israeli embassy in the Indian capital city of New Delhi on Friday, according to local media reports.

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED), placed inside a flower pot on the road divider, is suspected to be the cause of the blast.

No staff members were injured in the blast and police have blocked off the roads leading to the embassy, according to the reports.

The glasses of four to five cars were shattered by the explosion. The Israeli Embassy is at a distance of 2 km from the Vijay Chowk.

According to Indian news agency IANS, Delhi Police said that the explosion took place at the roadside of 5 Aurangzeb Road in the heart of the city. Fire brigade, SWAT and forensic teams rushed to the spot soon after the incident that took place at around 5 pm.

"We are looking into the matter. Multiple police teams have been rushed to the spot. It is yet to be ascertained the kind of material that exploded," said a senior police officer.

In February 2012 a bomb attack on an Israeli diplomatic car in Delhi injured four people. 

The latest incident took place close to where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other government and military leaders were attending an army parade.

The Indian capital is also on a security alert because of farmers  protests against government agriculture reforms that deteriorated into serious unrest this week.