Energy drink can found at the blast spot

A team of National Security Guard (NSG) investigates the site of the blast near Israel Embassy. The NSG team had visited the spot for post-blast analysis, findings of which will be shared with the Delhi Police team investigating the case

A team from the National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) of the NSG has found an energy drink can that it suspects was used for blast near the Israeli Embassy. Sources told News18 that the can could have been used to hide the circuit board device that was also found at the spot, and was "possibly attached to a timer".

Sources further said that the presence of PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) in the device, which was confirmed through a lab test, was found along with aluminium. "This kind of mix is contradictory because one is high explosive and another is low explosive," a source said, adding that the final results will come on Sunday.

The NSG team had visited the spot for post-blast analysis, findings of which will be shared with the Delhi Police team investigating the case. "We have recovered some CCTV footage but have not obtained anything concrete yet as most of the CCTV cameras in the area near the embassy are non-functional," an official source said.

An envelope addressed to the Israeli Embassy and containing a note was found at the site of the blast, news agency PTI had quoted its sources as saying. A case has been registered and the Delhi Police's Special Cell is investigating the matter. "The investigating agencies are checking IPDR of the area to check whether the suspected persons used internet to communicate instead of call. They are also checking the CCTV footage of the nearby hotels," a source was quoted.

The source said that dump data of mobile calls, which were active hours before and after the blast, are also examined. They are collecting data from the cab services of the persons who were dropped in the nearby area of the spot just before the incident happened.

There were some media reports that in a note that was found near the blast site, the explosion was described as a "trailer". A screenshot of Telegram application is circulating where the Jaish-Ul-Hind allegedly took the responsibility of the attack, however, its authenticity could not be confirmed. Police said that they are examining it to ascertain its authenticity.

The minor blast took place on Friday evening in a high-security zone of the national capital. No one was injured. The blast took place when President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were present a few kilometres away at the Beating Retreat ceremony at the culmination of the Republic Day celebrations.

The explosion took place on a day when India and Israel marked the completion of the 29th anniversary of establishment of their diplomatic relations.