comment by Jerry Gordon

A second day of bomb blasts in the Gujarat state city of Ahmadabad and the death toll has risen to 45 and over 161 were wounded in 16 bomb blasts that ripped apart this city in Western India. A mystery group of Islamic terrorists, Indian Mujahideen, sent emails to authorities claiming revenge for the sectarian violence that killed 1,000 in 2002. This may be coordinated with another bomb last that occurred in the southern Indian city of Bangalore. India may be facing a face of Jihadi terror bombing from the midst of its significant Muslim minority community. Will this lead to sectarian violence? Stay tuned.

by Matthew Rosenberg, AP, July 27, 2008

AHMADABAD, India - An obscure Islamic militant group warning of “the terror of Death” claimed responsibility for bombings that killed at least 45 people and authorities stepped up security Sunday after India’s second series of blasts in two days.

The city’s police commissioner, O.P. Mathur, said that 30 people had been detained for questioning, but there was scant information about the Indian Mujahideen, the little known group that took credit for the bombings in western India.

“In the name of Allah the Indian Mujahideen strike again! Do whatever you can, within 5 minutes from now, feel the terror of Death!” said an e-mail from the group sent to several Indian television stations minutes before the blasts began.

The e-mail’s subject line said “Await 5 minutes for the revenge of Gujarat,” an apparent reference to 2002 riots in the western state which left 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead. The historic city of Ahmadabad was the scene of much of the 2002 violence.

Saturday’s e-mail, sent from a Yahoo account and written in English, was made available to AP by CNN-IBN, one of the TV stations that received the warning.

State government spokesman Jaynarayan Vyas said 45 people were killed and 161 wounded when at least 16 bombs went off Saturday evening in several crowded neighborhoods.

The attack came a day after seven smaller blasts killed two people in the southern technology hub of Bangalore. (Continue Reading this Article)