Mumbai (AsiaNews) - An Indian journalist has been arrested for the attack on an Israeli diplomat in New Delhi last month. Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, who is working for an Iranian publication, was apprehended from his residence in south Delhi. The 50-year-old scribe is alleged to be part of an Iranian group behind the attack.
But the Government of India has not yet taken a stand against the Government of Iran. The terrorist attack on an Israeli diplomat's vehicle in New Delhi has thrown a harsh spotlight on a relationship that many in the capital have preferred to hide under a bushel. India and Israel have had a complicated equation since the two independent countries emerged from the territorial reordering that followed the World War II, but their history long precedes their existence as modern nation states.
Two personal computers, a laptop, his car, mobile phone and 1,250 US dollars were recovered from his residence.
Sources said Kazmi helped with the logistics, including conducting reconnaissance missions of the Israeli embassy and providing his car to the bombers. Kazmi, sources said, confessed to helping the bombers and being part of the "conspiracy". "He was in regular touch with the main conspirators for over a year and helped them at every step," a source said.
The foreign ministry remained tight-lipped on the Iran link, saying it was too early to draw conclusions. Four people, including and Israeli diplomat were injured in the twin bomb attacks that targeted Israeli embassy staff in India.
India values its relationship with Israel, but not at the sxpenses of its friendship with Arab and other Muslim states. This is why the terrorist attack means more to both sides than either will openly admit. India and Israel must work together to deal with it, and to prevent a recurrence.
