Two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire at tourists near one
of India's biggest mosques, wounding two Taiwanese and raising concerns about
security less than two weeks before an international sporting event in the
Indian capital.
The gunmen shot randomly at the tourists as they were about
to board a bus parked near the Jama Masjid mosque, police spokesman Rajan
Bhagat said. The 17th century mosque is a popular tourist destination in the
heart of the city.
Police launched a massive search for the gunmen and issued a
security alert across the Indian capital.
Hours later, the BBC's Hindi language service said it
received an e-mail purportedly from the Indian Mujahideen, an Islamic militant
group, threatening to attack the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Police cautioned that the e-mail and Sunday's attack could
be unrelated.
"We are investigating the attack on the tourists from
all angles," said Karnail Singh, a joint commissioner of police.
Officials quickly tried to reassure athletes and the public
that security in the city was at an unprecedented high. Thousands of athletes
from the Commonwealth of Nations are to compete in the games, which are held
every four years.
New Delhi's top elected official, Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit, appealed for calm, declaring the city was safe to host the Oct. 3-14
games in which 71 teams are to take part.
"Please do not panic. An incident like this is
something worrying, but nothing to panic about," Dikshit told reporters.
The secretary-general of the games organizing committee,
Lalit Bhanot, said the shooting would have "no impact" on the event.
Indian authorities "have made elaborate arrangements to
provide the Commonwealth Games athletes and officials a safe and secure
environment," Bhanot said in a statement.
Federal Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram visited the
two Taiwanese men in the hospital after one had surgery for a stomach wound.
They were in stable condition, said Jaspal Singh, a top
police official.
The area around the mosque was cordoned off after the attack
and police scoured the densely populated alleys around it. Cars and other
vehicles were checked at barriers erected on major roads in the city.
Police said witnesses could give few details about the
assailants.
"Eyewitnesses have told us the men were wearing
raincoats and helmets. They fired around seven rounds before they sped
away," Karnail Singh said.
The Indian Mujahideen, which has been linked to the banned
Pakistan-based Islamist rebel group Lashkar-e-Taiba, was outlawed in June after
it was suspected of involvement in an attack on a popular bakery in western
India in which 10 people died.
