'Mossad thought India was safe days before attack'
Times of India says Israeli intelligence agency's security assessment of New Delhi just days before attack on embassy deemed Indian capital safer for Israelis than Turkey, South America
Monday's terrorist attack in New Delhi appears to have come as a surprise to Israel's Mossad, The Times of India reported Thursday. Nevertheless, the paper noted that the embassy was aware of the possibility of an attack on the anniversary of that assassination of Hezbollah arch-terrorist Imad Mughniyeh, and alerted Delhi Police accordingly.
Sources told the paper that a high-level team, which discussed the threat of revenge strikes against Israeli targets, did not anticipate that Iran's alleged sympathizers could strike in India's capital.
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The report suggests that a team headed by Mossad Chief Tamir Pardo interacted with their Indian counterparts last week. The nature of this interaction is unclear.
Koren's car after the attack (Photo: AP)
It was also noted that the Mossad team "felt that Israeli citizens were safer in India than their compatriots in Turkey, countries in East Asia and South America."
Meanwhile, Indian media reported that additional suspects were arrested in connection to the attack which injured Tal Yehoshua Koren, the wife of the Israeli defense attaché.
Investigators believe that the person who attached the explosives to Yehoshua Koren's car was a local Indian man who was apparently working for the planners of the attack. On Wednesday Delhi police traced a red motorcycle which it suspects served the terrorist.
Meanwhile, doctors say that Yehoshua Koren is showing signs of recovery.
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