Bengaluru, Dec 28: An IED explosion occurred outside the Coconut Grove restaurant on Church Street here on Sunday night. One woman who was seriously injured in the blast died in the hospital later.
Here are the live updates of the development after the blast:
[End of updating for the night]
Not intelligence failure, says CM Siddaramaiah
01.50 am: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who visited the spot where the blast occurred said that after the arrest of Mehdi Masroor Biswas, the police had been alerted and security too was beefed up. "We cannot call it an intelligence failure and the police have done their best," he said.
"I will hold a high level meeting in the morning. I was out of station and even the home minister is out of station. He is coming back in sometime and in the morning we will hold a high level discussion. Let the investigations proceed and not speculate for now," he added.
IB alert was not specific, says Bengaluru Police
01.37 am: The Bengaluru Police says that the Intelligence Bureau alert that was passed on to them was not specific in nature. There has been a threat alert but it was only generic The alert was issued ahead of a festival season and New Year, the Bangalore police says. Commissioner of Police M N Reddi said that there has been a general threat perception in view of the festivities.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah arrives at Church Street
01:25 am: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has arrived at Church Street to take stock of the situation. After inspecting the spot, he will hold discussions with Bengaluru Police Commissioner and also the state police chief. the CM has been assured by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh of all support in the probe.
Preliminary probe suggests the bomb was planted at the restaurant around 7.30 pm
01.04 am: Preliminary investigations and CCTV footage obtained suggest that the bomb was kept at the Coconut Grove restaurant around 7.30 pm.
Since the area is extremely crowded during the weekends, none took note of the bag which remained there for almost an hour.
The bomb which was planted was timed to go off in an hour after it had been planted.
However, the police are not entirely happy with the CCTV footage that they have managed to obtain as there were some issues with one of the cameras that was in the restaurant.
The investigating team headed by Additional Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar is gathering the information to get more leads on the incident.
National Investigation Agency team to look into blast
12.50 am: A team of the National Investigating Agency (NIA) will look into the Church Street blast. An NIA official informed that it is too early to comment on who could have carried out the blast. Prima facie it appears that similar material was used in the Chennai train blast as well. On being asked if someone could have done this to retaliate against the recent arrest of Mehdi Masroor Biswas [Bengaluru man handling ISIS Twitter account hails from Bengal], the officer said it will be explored too.
Union minister and Bengaluru South MP Ananth Kumar condemns the blast
12.40 am: Union minister Ananth Kumar condemns the attack, says he has spoken to CM Siddaramaiah.
Police launch extensive manhunt to trace those behind blast
12.30 am: The police have launched an extensive manhunt to trace the persons behind the Church Street blast. Some clues have emerged regarding the suspects identity after questioning two persons and also based on CCTV footage.
Suspicious bag at Shantinagar bus stand turned out to be a hoax
12.27 am: The suspicious bag that was found at the Shanthinagar bus stand has turned out to be nothing. Earlier there was speculation that this bag belonged to the suspect. However upon verification there was nothing found in it.
Aluminium pipe used in blast
12.05 am: Fresh leads suggest that an aluminium pipe was used in the bomb used in the blast. An aluminium pipe has very often been used in other blasts as well where in the material is stuffed into the pipe in order to create an impact.
The police have also found a battery which was meant for the timer to trigger off the blast.
Most specific alert was about SIMI operatives
12.00 am: The most specific warning that the Bangalore Police had from the central intelligence agencies was about the SIMI members. This alert was sent to the Bangalore Police and also various other police officials of big cities. The Khandwa Jail break which took place last year saw six members of the SIMI escaping. They have carried out a spate of robberies and also the Chennai train blasts.
Police probe Al-Ummah angle into the blast
11.57 pm: Another angle that is being probed is with regard to the Al-Ummah. The police are checking to see if this outfit which carried out the blast outside the BJP office in Bangalore could be behind this incident too.
After IB, Karnataka home minister also calls the blast a terror attack
11.50 pm: Karnataka Home Minister K George has termed the blast as a terror attack. The Intelligence Bureau had also called it a terror attack earlier.
SIMI operatives behind Chennai train blast involved in blast?
11.47 pm: The nightmare called the Khandwa jail break in which SIMI operatives escaped appears to be haunting investigators probing the blast. Based on an intelligence report, the suspicion is on the SIMI.
There were at least three alerts stating that these persons- Aizazuddin Mohammed , Zakir Hussain , Mehboob , Aslam Ayub Khan and Amzad Ramzan Khan could strike. They were involved in several bank robberies which included one at Karimnagar and also the Chennai train blast.
CM Siddaramaiah rushing back from Mysuru
11.45 am: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is in Mysuru, will rush back to Bangalore to take stock of the situation in the event of the Bangalore blast. The CM had spoken with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the latter assured him of all support.
Police to probe SIMI angle
11.27 pm: As all probable angles are being explored, the police are also ascertaining whether it could be the job of five SIMI members who have been on the run for the past year after they broke out from the Khandwa jail. "This is not a confirmed angle, but we have sought information from both the IB and the Madhya Pradesh police," a Bangalore police official informed.
Bomb was triggered off by a timer device, the timing was around 8.45 pm
11.24 pm: Sources confirmed that the bomb was triggered off by a timer device. Preliminary investigations suggest that the device was timed to trigger off the bomb at around 8.45 pm.
Questioned persons are not suspects; one is a pan-shop owner while the other a security guard
11.20 pm: The two persons being questioned are not suspects. One is a pan shop owner while the other is a security guard. These persons are being questioned for the identity of the person who planted the bomb.
Forensic team at blast spot
11.02 pm: A forensic team has arrived at the spot and is collecting material to ascertain the composition of the bomb. The team will collect the material and verify the composition.
Preliminary investigations point at the presence of ammonium nitrate, IED timer and shrapnel wrapped tightly into a cloth. The investigators are also looking at the possibility of gelatine sticks being used.
Injured woman dies in hospital
11.00 pm: Bhavani, 37, who was injured in the blast has passed away at the Mallya Hospital. She sustained head injuries.
Too much internal bleeding, said doctors
Dr Kanchan of Mallya Hospital confirmed Bhavani's death. She said they did their best but there was too much internal bleeding. She had been hit on her head. Bhavani, a resident of Tamil Nadu, had come on a holiday to Bengaluru. She had her dinner at the Empire hotel on Church street and was returning when the blast hit her.
Don't panic and spread rumours, appeals Bengaluru police commissioner
10.55 pm: Bengaluru Police Commissioner MN Reddi has urged the people to stop spreading rumours about another blast. He also confirmed that there has been no other blast anywhere in the city.
IB puts nation on high alert
10.50 pm: The IB sounded a high alert across the country. It has advised all major cities to be on high alert while also adding that terrorists, both groups and lone wolves might try and target crowded places ahead of the New Years celebrations.
Cops examine CCTV footage to get more clues
10.45 pm: The police were examining the CCTV footage to get more clues about the persons who carried out the attack. Police sources informed that they have CCTV images and are looking into them.
2 persons being questioned
10.25 pm: The Bangalore police has started questioning two persons in connection with the Church Street blast. The police are treating these persons as suspects and are questioning them for more details on the incident.
An act of terror, says IB
10.20 pm: Intelligence Bureau officials have termed it as an act of terror. The intention was to create terror and planting it in a crowded area such as Church Street on a Sunday night when the road is normally crowded was done with an intention of causing damage.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assures Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
10.10 pm: Home Minister Rajnath Singh has assured the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of all assistance.
Bomb composition
10.06 pm: The bomb comprised IED and shrapnel as per preliminary investigation reports. The bomb was triggered off by using a timer device is also what the early indication is. It was a small package thus indicating that it was of low intensity. However the police are looking for more details.
The investigations so far have also revealed that in addition to the IED timer and shrapnel there have been traces of ammonium nitrate too.
Bengaluru cops to seek help of central agencies
10.05 pm: The Bangalore Police will seek the help of the central agencies in ascertaining who is behind this attack.The possibility of the NIA also joining the probe is not ruled out. The bomb comprised IED and shrapnel as per preliminary investigation reports.
The police arrived on the spot and were investigating the case. The area was cordoned off after the blast.
Low-intensity blast, says police commissioner
9.50 pm: Bangalore Police Commissioner M N Reddi said the blast on Church Street said the blast was a low-intensity one. The commissioner, however, refused to divulge more details and said investigations are on.
Bengaluru on high alert
9.40 pm: The Bangalore police have put the city on high alert following the blast. Search operations are being undertaken and coordination with the intelligence agencies has commenced.
While one lady Bhavani is serious with a head injury the other two Karthick and Sandeep are out of danger. Two have been admitted to the Mallya hospital while one is at the Hosmat hospital.
IISC attack occurred on the same day in 2005
Incidentally this was the same day that even the IISC attack was carried out on December 28 in 2005. The blast also comes two weeks after the arrest of Mehdi Masroor Biswas. While it is too early to come to any conclusion the police are not ruling anything out.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assured of a fair probe and appealed to the people to stay calm.
Oneindia News
Read in Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಚರ್ಚ್ ಸ್ಟ್ರೀಟ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಬಾಂಬ್ ಸ್ಪೋಟ
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