Crude Bomb Found In Jammu After Drone Attack: J&K Police Chief
Authorities are investigating the drone strike by terrorists after two explosions rocked an Indian Air Force Station in Jammu.
New Delhi:
A crude bomb was found in Jammu soon after a drone attack on the Air Force base in the city, Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbagh Singh told NDTV on Sunday, widening the investigation into what authorities said was a terror strike.
“Drones with payload were used in both the blasts at Jammu airfield. Another crude bomb was found by the Jammu police. This IED (Improvised Explosive Device) was received by LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) operative and was to be planted at some crowded place,” Mr Singh said.
The IED with 4 kg explosives was found in the Narwal area of Jammu from Nadeem Ul Haq, a 22-year-old resident of Banihal, who has been arrested, he said. The arrest is not linked to the airport attack, Dilbagh Singh said.
Two explosions rocked an Indian Air Force Station in Jammu in the early hours of Sunday, injuring two people and causing minor damage to a building, officials said.
They added that the blasts have caused concern in security circles as they could mark the first time that drones have been used in an attack in India.
“Investigations are in progress along with civil agencies,” the Indian Air Force tweeted on Sunday, adding one blast caused minor damage to the roof of a building at the station, while the other exploded in an open area.
An FIR has been registered under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act that allows the arrest of suspects and their detention for up to six months without evidence. The National Investigation Agency has taken over the probe.
Teams from the IAF, the National Bomb Data Centre, forensic experts and the Jammu and Kashmir police are also investigating the attack.
Senior security officials said that the use of drones in the attack would present a major challenge for security forces in the area.
The blasts took place hours before Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General MM Naravane began a three-day visit to Ladakh to review India’s operational readiness and to interact with troops in the backdrop of a drawn-out standoff with China.
