Bomb hits historic India mosque

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6668695.stm


Bomb hits historic India mosque
Mecca Masjid (Photo: Andhra Pradesh Tourism)
The Mecca Masjid is one of India's biggest mosques
At least five people have been killed in a bomb explosion at a historic mosque in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, the authorities say.

Many more were hurt in the blast during Friday prayers at the Mecca Masjid, one of India's biggest mosques.

Interior Minister Shivraj Patil said the explosion at the entrance to the mosque was caused by a "crude bomb".

Police say they also found and defused two live bombs near the mosque. It is not clear who carried out the attack.

"The situation is under control," YS Rajshekhar Reddyhe, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh state of which Hyderabad is capital, told reporters in Delhi.

He said the bombing was an act of "intentional sabotage on the peace and tranquility in the country" and appealed for calm.

Injured

The blast took place as thousands of Muslims were wrapping up Friday prayers at the Mecca Masjid.

Hyderabad is one of the biggest cities in southern India and has a large Muslim population, many of whom live in the congested old city where the mosque is located.

There was chaos and anger after the explosion. Ambulances ferried the injured to hospital.

Many in the congregation ran for cover, some covered in blood.

"I was very close to the spot of the blast," one man, Abdul Quader, who escaped with minor leg injuries, told the Associated Press.

"As soon as prayers ended, we were about to get up, there was a huge deafening blast sending bodies into the air," he said.

"People stated running helter-skelter, there was such confusion. People were bleeding, running around in a very bad condition."

Police and emergency services were quickly at the site which has been cordoned off.

Angry crowds gathered and began throwing stones at riot police who responded with tear gas.

There are fears that the number of dead could rise further. Police say some of the injured are in a serious condition.

Last year more than 35 people were killed after bomb attacks near a mosque in the western state of Maharashtra. It is still not clear who carried out those attacks.

RSS fanatics at it again..but India will blame Jihadi's..which is silly...fascists walk amongs our neighbours like they do in karachi!!

Do you ever think before you post or just dump garbage here and leave?

Did anybody anywhere mention RSS involvement in it?

RSS has been involved in riots against muslims but it never used bomb blasts against mosques.

man shut the hell up..im speculating..the indian media never mentions the RSS fanatics but I reckon they are involved..why would so called foreign jihadis wanna blow up a mosque?? explain please?? ..but alas youll just parrott whatever the indian media feeds you...just because someone says their not involved doesnt mean they arent..damned facists..and why cant they use bombs? make people believe something else and youre on a winner..!!..

They were showing some clips on Sahara TV, policemen were firing at people carrying injured people to safety and they claimed that those people were threat to the security so they had to fire rubber bullets. It's unbelieveable how those people were threat to the security when they were clearly carrying injured people and they were shot from the back( And yes those people were MUSLIMS)

They will blame ISI right?\

Sad news, its happening all over now.

sad news

Friday May 18, 09:50 PM

HYDERABAD, India (Reuters) - A bomb exploded during Friday prayers at a historic mosque in Hyderabad, killing at least nine worshippers.

A few hours after the blast, police fired on an angry crowd near the mosque, killing three protesters and wounding five.

Police said more than 50 people were injured in the blast at Mecca Masjid, the main mosque in Hyderabad. The city, which is one of India's IT hubs, has also long been a communal flashpoint.

It was the third major bombing of a mosque in India over the last year. Authorities fear the attacks could spark communal unrest between minority Muslims and majority Hindus.

New Delhi said it was a "terrorist" attack but did not name the militant groups under suspicion.

At the time of the blast thousands of worshippers were praying at the sprawling 17th century mosque, which is said to house one of Prophet Mohammed's hairs.

"I had just said my prayers and there was a blast. Suddenly I was hit by a rock," Naseeruddin, 45, told Reuters as he lay in hospital, his head wrapped in a blood-stained white bandage.

"When I looked up, another rock hit my face. Then I fell unconscious," the street vendor said. Nearby, other wounded men groaned in pain as relatives kept watch.

Officials said the death toll could rise and three other crude bombs were defused as crowds, angered by the attack, clashed with police around the mosque.

Thousands of police patrolled deserted streets late on Friday. Hyderabad has a large Muslim population.

Hundreds of men and boys in white prayer caps rushed out of the mosque after the explosion, which occurred in the area where worshippers wash their hands and face before prayers.

Marble floors around the mosque were spattered in blood. A police officer at the scene said the bomb was triggered by a mobile phone.


FRIDAY ATTACKS ON MOSQUES

A bomb blast killed 32 people in September at a mosque in Maharashtra which police blamed on a banned Islamic students group trying to spark communal tension.

Two bombs exploded at New Delhi's main mosque, Jama Masjid, wounding 10 people in April 2006. All took place on a Friday, the Muslim day of prayer when mosques are generally crowded.

One security analyst said Islamist militants, bent on forcing Muslims everywhere to follow a strict form of Islam, could be behind the wave of attacks.

"There have been attacks on Muslims in countries like Iraq, Thailand and Pakistan by Islamist militants," said B. Raman, the former head of the counter-terrorism unit of the Research and Analysis Wing.

"This seems to be happening in India as well by those who follow a pan-Islamist ideology."

A Muslim community leader demanded officials look into other suspects. "The police must investigate all angles to see whether the suspects are Muslim or Hindu extremists," said Kamal Faruqui, the chairman of Delhi Minority Commission.

Around 140 million people of India's billion-plus population are Muslims. Hindus make up more than 80 percent of the population.

(Reporting by a Reuters reporter in Hyderabad; Additional reporting by Kamil Zaheer, Prithwish Ganguly, C. K. Nayak and Palash Kumar in New Delhi)

YEP!!! Didn't take long to point fingers at EVERYONE except themselves.

This is Indian reaction to blast:

"old city in hyd = ISI home city"
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"Until we figure out a way to ferret out the responsible terrorists who flee to Pakistan and are hosted in luxury by that government, we may as well get used to these tragedies.

Manmohan Singh and Sonia deserve the boot for acting utterly helpless rather than taking firm action."
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"Right now we are sentincing the guys (small fry...the Big Fish have found safe homes in Padosi country)...involved in 1993 Blasts...

I think the perpetrators of this act can relax till 2022"
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"Brainless terrorist retards again trying to cause trouble in India. But they will never succeed in breaking our country.
Hope there are no casualties."


These comments suggest that Indian themselves are very peace loving people and only Pakistanis are responsible for killing hindus, MUSLIMS and Sikhs in India. Parties like RSS, VHP, Shiv Sena etc are NEVER responsible for any troubles, it's always ISI. If you listen to speeches of leaders of these hardline HINDU parties, even Taliban, Osama and Bush will sound more peace loving.

Hey idiot, Did anybody mention RSS?Forget the Indian media show me one report from pakistani media and I will accept it.Your brain cannot process beyond standard stereotypic mullah reactions.

You asked why would muslims want to kill muslims?I did not say they did in this case but if you want examples read the newspapers and see what is happening in Iraq and in Karachi.

Indian Muslims are Indians and we don't need expert advice from you.If you so love them and they want to come why don't u invite them to your country and call them mohajirs and call them bhaiyaas or whaterver.They choose to be Indians and let them be.

This was such a sad news .

This is the video I got from YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpuA9FSh7Io

What i dont understand is what the hell were the reporters/cameraman doing in Masjid ??? They were already there before the bomb blasted and recorded the entire event. How the hell did the reporters knew where the bomb is GOING to blast ????

what the bloody hell is youre malfunction?? im entitled to my opinion..you dont like it? well then thats youre bloody problem..the RSS have been known to incite racial hatred in india and i bet their behind this one...im entitled to this opinion...now why dont you get off youre pathetic high horse and get lost!!

Mullah this mullah that...the record is old..find something else!!...

Quite terrible really, regardless of who commited this henious crime

Wacho, do you serve any purpose here apart from crawling into threads to slag of Islam and Muslims.

TNT, RDX used in mosque blast, terror link possible

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government late on Friday said TNT and RDX were used in the bomb blast that ripped through the Mecca Masjid near the historic Charminar monument in Hyderabad.

"We have information that RDX was used in the explosion. We are confident of identifying the culprits very soon," Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy said after visiting the injured at Osmania General Hospital.

The CM, who rushed here from New Delhi within hours of the blast, said the explosive material used in the attack was very sophisticated and a thorough probe was on to identify the people behind the blast. He said the police were also trying to find out from where the material was procured.

Asked about possible terrorists involvement in the attack, Reddy did not rule out the possibility.

He said the explosion was the handiwork of anti-social elements who were bent upon disturbing peace and communal harmony. "The police have defused two more live bombs thereby averting a major tragedy," the Chief Minister said.

Home Minister K Jana Reddy said the police has been put on high alert across the state to prevent any untoward incident.

The Chief Minister also directed the Director General of Police and the City Police Commissioner to deploy as many forces as required in the areas to bring back normalcy and confidence among the people.

Reddy said he would ask the Prime Minister's Office to send Rapid Action Forces to be deployed if necessary in the troubled areas.

Eight people were killed, four of them on the spot, when a powerful bomb ripped through the historic Mecca Masjid as hundreds of faithful had gathered there to offer Friday prayers.

"I was offering prayer when I heard a huge explosion. Initially, I thought it could be a cracker, but soon I realised it was a bomb blast," Rasheed Ahmed, a tourist from Maharashtra, said.

HISTORY UNDER ATTACK Mecca Masjid, built in 1670, is one of the oldest mosques in the country and is located near the historic Charminar, the cultural symbol of Hyderabad. It is called the Mecca Masjid because its central arch is believed to contain bricks brought from the holy city of Mecca. It took over 75 years to build the grand mosque. The construction had started during the regime of Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah, the sixth Sultan of Hyderabad and completed by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The mosque attracts a large number of faithfuls for the Friday prayers.

Ahmed was among nearly 6,000-odd people who were offering afternoon prayers at the 400-year-old mosque when the tragedy struck. He is now undergoing treatment at Osmania General Hospital for his injuries.

The blood spilled over the 'wazu khana'(water tank), where Muslims perform ablution before offering prayers, as the crude bomb went off at 1320 hours (IST). Pieces of human flesh, slippers and caps were strewn around the blast site.

Rafiq Ahmed, another eyewitness, said soon after the blast, there was panic all around but the Imam of the mosque tried to calm them down.

"When I rushed out, I saw parts of human bodies strewn around and the injured were being shifted in ambulances," he said.

"I was praying inside the main mosque when the blast occurred. The people were engaged in Sunnat Namaz, which is prayed individually, before the main Namaz with the congregation. The blast was like a huge 'pop' sounding very much like a transformer blow out," Abdaal Akthar said.

Eyewitnesses alleged security near the mosque was lax and no frisking was done before allowing the people inside. The police recovered a mobile phone from the site which was believed to have been used to trigger the blast.

The incident triggered tension in the communally sensitive old city areas. The police, who arrived at the spot minutes after the explosion, had to face the wrath of people who went berserk attacking buses, petrol bunks and other public properties.

As the incident triggered frayed tempers and spontaneous demonstrations, tension prevailed in Old city areas including Charminar, Moghulpura, Lal Darwaza, Gowlipura and Mehdipatnam.

Wacho, I find it extremely hard to beleive that a Indian/Pakistani Muslim would blow up a mosque in India and that too in a busy Mosque on a Friday. Think of it logically, would a terrorist attack those that he is fighting for, or those that he is fighting against. In India, Sunni and Shia are both minorities, and therefore there is a common other in India - Hindu. Sunnis and Shia get along fairly well in India. The fact that you are using examples of Iraq and Karachi, shows how little you know.

In both Iraq and Karachi, it is attacks between Sunni and Shia.

The only way for the authorities to prevent an all out riot is to put the blame on a Muslim terrorist. They are worried that if they come out and say, we have caught a Hindu extremist, there may be more bloodshed. For them it is easier to just roll it under the carpet than to address the issue that it is not only Muslims who can become terrorists and do such horriblem crimes.

I have been to Charminar in Hyderabad and its 90% Muslims there I believe. I have got plenty of cousins in Hyd and my wife is from there (I got married there).

Genghis, dont worry about wacho. I dont think I've ever seen a post of his where he isnt attempting to slag us off

no frisking...then we'll hear some unknown group like army of the martyrs of god or something take responsibility...then Hindus will say" see these mUSLIMS LOOK HOW UNCIVILISED THEY ARE..UNLIKE US HINDUS WHO ARE SOOO CIVILISED"..

then we'll see the RSS fanatics take advantage and fuel some riots which will lead to the death of 1000 odd Muslims...

oh wait that already hapeend ..in gujrat!!! sound familiar wacho the moron??..

Terrible! people around the world have some seriously hideous agendas!

saw a clip on indian TV where police fired at ppl who were carrying injured ppl, bullet hit a guy in his thigh from behind.

being in good relationship with Pak at moment, this time they are blaming on group from Bangladesh