Initial investigations into the suicide attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul last week have revealed the presence of a second vehicle that was keeping a constant watch on the bombers car and turned away when guards stopped the attacker. Also,two locals seem to have been posted near the passport office near the embassy building to keep a watch on the bomber. They walked off from the site less than a minute before the bomber blew himself up. These two new facts form crucial leads for the investigation,sources said. A suicide bomber in an explosives-laden car blew up outside the embassy building on October 8,killing 17 people and wounding 63 in the second attack on the same target in a little over a year. No one inside the embassy was hurt,but an ITBP guard outside was injured. The embassy wall and a watch tower suffered damage. It is learnt that embassy security officials have CCTV footage which shows that the bombers Toyota Landcruiser (Registration No. 2-89152) was followed at a distance by another vehicle,possibly a Ford SUV. As is known,the bomber tried to turn into the lane adjacent to the embassy compound,where the Kabul passport office is located. There is also a side entrance to the embassy in this lane. As the vehicle turned into the lane,it was stopped at a security barrier,where Afghan police personnel questioned the driver. Unsatisfied with his replies,they asked him to turn back,embassy sources said. As this was happening,a policeman on duty at the site was watching a second vehicle that had stopped some distance away across the road. When the bombers car was asked to go back,this second vehicle too turned away,but stopped after going a short distance. The behaviour of the second car had caught the attention of the policemen. They were,however,distracted by the bomber car,which,after having been told to leave,reversed,stopped and then charged past them into the barrier guarding the lane before exploding. The blast left a crater 3 metres wide and over a metre deep. Sources said it is clear the bomber was under watch and the scene of the bombing under surveillance,because two locals were noticed sitting outside the passport office in the lane. They sat watching the bomber vehicle as it approached the lane at about 8.35 am,and as the driver was questioned by the police. They started to walk away as the policemen were talking to the bomber. Barely a minute later,the car had hit the barrier and exploded. These technical leads have now emerged as critical for investigators. Afghan security officials believe the Haqqani group could be responsible,but local media reports have been quoting the Afghan Taliban taking responsibility. They have said the bomber was called Khaled,and that the Indian embassy was his target.
