Seven Explosions Rip Through Bangalore

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Seven Explosions Rip Through Bangalore

By ERIC BELLMAN
July 26, 2008; Page A4

MUMBAI -- A series of seven explosions across Bangalore, India's high-technology capital, killed one person and injured more than 15 Friday.

Reuters

A series of small explosions Friday rocked Bangalore, India's high-tech capital, which has been relatively sheltered from terrorist attacks.

The attack served as a reminder of how the country, despite its economic expansion in the past few years, remains vulnerable to terrorism. Officials say the explosions were small but well-coordinated, taking place within minutes of each other early Friday afternoon.

There were no early claims of responsibility for the blasts, which police say they are treating as a terrorist attack. Bangalore, a city of about six million, is the home of many of India's outsourcing and software super powers, including Infosys Technologies Ltd. and Wipro Ltd. Both companies said none of their employees were affected but they are considering tightening security. There were no reports of business operations being affected. Bangalore is also the home of large back-office research and programming operations for big international names such as Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp. and International Business Machines Corp.

Indian cities have been targets of attacks for years from Islamic terrorists as well as other violent movements across the diverse nation. While Bangalore has been relatively sheltered from terrorism, this wasn't the first time it was targeted. In 2005, a retired professor was killed when gunmen opened fire on a group of people leaving a research convention at Bangalore's Indian Institute of Science.

Getty Images

Indian police officers with a sniffer dog searched for evidence at a blast site in Bangalore Friday.

Other cities have seen much bloodier attacks. In May, a series of blasts in the popular tourist destination of Jaipur in northern India killed more than 60. In July 2006, bomb blasts tore through crowded commuter trains in Mumbai, killing more than 100. The most deadly attack was in 1993, when bombs exploded across Mumbai, targeting symbols of wealth such as hotels, offices and the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Terrorists may be targeting the motors of India's expansion such as finance, technology and tourism in hopes of discouraging investment and growth in the country.

"They have been hitting the economic and technology centers purposefully," said Brahma Chellaney, a professor at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi. "They target where India's economic growth is symbolically centered to undermine investor confidence and send out the message that they can hit anywhere."

--Tariq Engineer contributed to this article.