A  terrorist organisation  'Indian Mujahideen' on Friday claimed responsibility for the serial bomb blasts in Uttar Pradesh, where at least 13 people were killed in Varanasi, Faizabad and Lucknow. Earlier, intelligence officers said Harkat-ul-Mujahideen had claimed responsibility.

The e-mail from guru_alhindi@yahoo.fr address received by a private TV channel claimed that the blasts were targeted against lawyers as they had thrashed terrorists and refused to take their cases.

The e-mail, whose authenticity was doubtful, was received by the channel just a few minutes before the blasts.

It said that "'Islamic raids" would be conducted against lawyers within few minutes because the police apprehended "two innocent groups and framed them with fake charges".

It claimed that the lawyers in these places "beat up innocent group members and refused to take their cases and also not allowed others to take up their cases".

The mail was apparently referring to busting of a JeM module by the Uttar Pradesh police last week following an encounter with the Special Task Force.

The three Pakistani nationals belonging to JeM were reportedly planning to kidnap Rahul Gandhi [Images] and get dreaded terrorists, including Parliament convict accused Mohammad Afzal, released in his exchange.

Lawyers had thrashed the three terrorists--Mohammad Abid, Yousuf and Mirza Rasheed Beg--when they were produced before the court and had refused to take up their cases.

The mail threatened to make police their next target. It cited Babri demolition, Mumbai riots and post-Godhra carnage in Gujarat as the reasons for launching "jihad" and claimed that the group had no connection with any neigbouring country, ISI, LeT or Huji.

Following the blasts and in view of the terror threat, the government has stepped up security around the Supreme Court, high court and other courts.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's charge that the Centre failed to provide intelligence information has got boost from the mail. Even leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani has charged that the blasts indicated intelligence failure as it takes considerable time to arrange logistics for carrying out such deadly attacks.