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Two Taiwanese wounded in New Delhi gun
attack
REUTERS, NEW DELHI
Monday, Sep 20, 2010, Page 1
A bullet is lodged in the shattered bus window
sill after unknown gunmen opened fire on the tourist bus outside the Jama Masjid
mosque in New Delhi yesterday.
PHOTO: AFP
Gunmen on motorbikes shot at a tourist bus near the main mosque in the Indian
capital yesterday, wounding two Taiwanese visitors in an attack only weeks
before the city hosts the Commonwealth Games.
The Commonwealth Games is seen as a showcase event for India as it emerges onto
the global economic and diplomatic stage. Some militant groups have threatened
to disrupt the Games.
¡§The two men were wearing helmets and raincoats. They fired indiscriminately at
a tourist bus before escaping,¡¨ K. Singh, a senior police officer in New Delhi,
told reporters.
Six Taiwanese were boarding the bus on a visit to Jama Masjid when the shooting
happened, the vehicle¡¦s driver said. The historic mosque in the old congested
part of the capital is one of New Delhi¡¦s most popular tourist attractions. The
police have cordoned off the area.
Security has been tightened in the capital ahead of the Games, with authorities
mindful of Islamist militant attacks in Indian cities over recent years in which
dozens have been killed. Police would not confirm whether militants were behind
the attack. In 2006, at least seven people were injured when two blasts rocked
the same area.
Doctors said the condition of the wounded was stable and one of them was
undergoing surgery in hospital.
In Taipei, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Spokesman James Chang (³¹p¥)
confirmed that the two tourists were Taiwanese.
Chang said that one of the men was wounded in the abdomen, while a bullet grazed
the head of the other Taiwanese.
The former underwent surgery, Chang said, adding that the injuries of the two
men were ¡§under control.¡¨
Chang said that the ministry¡¦s staffers based in New Delhi rushed to the
hospital right after learning of the shooting to offer assistance. The Indian
government offered an apology over the incident, he added.
Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS said the two men were employed as its camera crew.
Chang said the shooting looked ¡§random¡¨ for the time being, but he urged the
Indian government to investigate the case and complete the probe as soon as
possible.
¡§There was some firing outside gate No. 3 of Jama Masjid,¡¨ New Delhi police
spokesman Rajan Bhagat told reporters. ¡§We can¡¦t say [whether it was a militant
attack].¡¨
There have been some militant attacks in India this year. In February, a
powerful blast ripped through a restaurant in the western city of Pune, killing
17 people. India has blamed the Indian Mujahidin, a homegrown militant group
with links to militants in Pakistan, for the Pune attack.
¡§All that I can appeal to everybody is, please do not panic. An incident like
this is something worrying but nothing to panic about,¡¨ Chief Minister of Delhi
Shiela Dikshit said.
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