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 bomber’s 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 bomber’s 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.

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