Blast near Israel embassy: Police record statements of 'witnesses'

The Delhi police on Thursday recorded the statements of some people who claimed to have heard the explosion near the Israeli embassy, an official said.

The police also prepared a list of people who were seen near the spot just before the low-intensity blast occurred on Tuesday with the help of footage taken from CCTV cameras, he said.

The statements of at least 10 people, including security guards and passersby who claimed to have heard the explosion and also saw some smoke, have been recorded, the official said.

With the help of dump data from mobile phones active near the spot and CCTV camera footage, a few people have been identified and some of them were questioned on Thursday, the officer added.

According to another officer, the components of the explosive will be ascertained once the forensic reports come.

The samples from the leaves and soil from the spot were collected by forensic experts from the National Security Group (NSG) and Delhi Police on Wednesday.

"Their reports are still awaited," said the officer.

The blast occurred in the area between the boundary walls of the house on plot number 4 -- Nanda's House -- and the Central Hindi Training Institute on plot number 2A on Prithviraj Road.

While no one was injured, an "abusive" letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador was found near the site, officials said.

Though the case is yet to be registered, the officials of the Special Cell and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) were also looking into the matter, another official said.