SUSPECTS ABOUND IN TWIN DELHI CINEMA BOMB BLASTS

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 003846

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/23/2015
TAGS: PTER ASEC OVIP PREL IN PK
SUBJECT: SUSPECTS ABOUND IN TWIN DELHI CINEMA BOMB BLASTS

Classified By: Charge Robert O. Blake, Jr., for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Summary: No person or group has yet claimed
responsibility for the explosions in two New Delhi movie
theaters on May 22 that killed one person and injured at
least 50. Both cinemas, located in neighborhoods with large
Sikh populations, were screening the controversial detective
film "Jo Bole So Nihaal" ("Praise the Name of the Lord")
which Sikh leaders have criticized as denigrating their
religion. Although Delhi is now under "high alert" and many
movie houses have pulled the film as a precaution, the city
has been otherwise unaffected and the New Delhi police advise
us there is no connection between the bombings and US
interests. Our law enforcement contacts are not sharing
their insights on who they believe is behind the attacks,
explaining that investigation is only in its initial stages.
LEGATT has offered FBI technical assistance with the
investigation, which press indicates may have employed RDX
explosives. Speculation among our CT contacts and in the
press on who committed these attacks runs the gamut from Sikh
extremists to Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) to Pakistani
intelligence. Meanwhile, police are investigating other
leads that may point to a terrorism link, including the
arrest of a self-described LeT cadre reportedly in possession
of RDX and the planting of a third, very small, bomb. End
Summary.


2. (SBU) According to law enforcement spokespeople, the
first bomb exploded under a seat at Liberty Cinema at 8:15 PM
on May 22, shortly after the audience re-entered the theater
after an intermission. The explosion damaged the theater's
false ceiling and set off a panic among the patrons. About
20 minutes later, a second bomb detonated in the ladies'
lavatory in Satyam Cinema in Patel Nagar, which also damaged
an adjoining restaurant. As of the afternoon of May 24,
Indian press reported the toll as one person killed and at
least 50 injured, mostly from the Liberty Cinema bombing.
Both theaters are located in neighborhoods with large Sikh
populations, and both were showing the film "Jo Bole So
Nihaal," which Sikh leaders have loudly criticized as
demeaning their religion. Many (but reportedly not all)
theaters across India have stopped showing this film, which
tells the story of a crime investigation that goes from
Punjab to New York City. No person or group has claimed
responsibility for the blasts, which Defense Minister Pranab
Mukherjee said "appeared to be the handiwork of terrorists."

Delhi on Alert, Targets Appear to be Specific
--------------


3. (C) The Cabinet reportedly convened an emergency meeting
shortly after the blasts to review security arrangements in
the capital. Minister of State for Home Affairs Shriprakash
Jaiswal announced that Delhi was under a "high alert," and
that security was tightened at the city's exits.


4. (S) RSO reports that the bombings, which appear to have
been specifically aimed at their targets, have not directly
affected Mission security. RSO is maintaining close contact
with the Delhi police the Intelligence Bureau (IB),and is
coordinating with US Secret Service regarding F/POTUS
Clinton's New Delhi visit, which begins May 25. New Delhi
police advise that, according to the information they
currently have, there is no nexus between the bombings and
the Embassy or US interests.

Investigation Just Beginning; FBI Offers Technical Help
-------------- --------------


5. (C) Delhi Police Commissioner KK Paul told reporters that
the bombs were "crude" and did not contain fragmentation
materials that could have caused greater injuries; he did not
offer further details, and official forensics reports have
not been released. Paul told RSO late on May 23 that the
investigation is continuing and the Special Cell of the Delhi
Police Force had not yet attributed the attacks to any person
or group. Deputy Police Commissioner Anita Roy, who is
responsible for the diplomatic zone, confirmed to RSO on May
24 that the investigation has not yet identified the bombers
or made any links to terrorist groups. A LEGATT inquiry to
the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also yielded no
more detailed information; LEGATT awaits CBI's response to an
offer of FBI technical assistance.

Suspects Abound - Pakistan Link?
--------------


6. (SBU) Indian media speculation initially pointed to Sikh
radicals carrying out these attacks. Sikh leaders have been
critical of the film "Jo Bole So Nihaal" for its
inappropriate use of Sikh religious language and symbols.
The highest Sikh religious body, the Shiromani Gurdwara
Parbandhak Committee (SGPC),successfully lobbied for the
film to be recalled from theaters in Punjab prior to the
bombings. After the explosions, the SGPC publicly condemned
the attacks as "inhuman."


7. (C) A second line of press analysis holds
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) responsible for the blasts. The May
23 arrest in Delhi of a young man allegedly possessing more
than five kilograms of RDX -- who reportedly claimed to be a
Pakistan-trained LeT terrorist -- lent fuel to this theory,
although police have not publicly linked him to the bombings
and have not announced whether RDX was used. Noted Indian
terrorism expert Dr. Ajai Sahni pointed out to Poloff that,
although it is too soon to ascribe certainty to any theory,
it is plausible that LeT leadership might have considered an
attack in the middle of a Sikh controversy as "a target of
opportunity to inflame sectarian or communal tensions in
India." He echoed speculation in the "Times of India" that
this could have been a reactivating of a "Khalistan (Sikh
separatist)-Islamist-Kashmiri link" that has existed, if
largely dormant, since the 1980s. That said, one police
contact commented to RSO that the Sikh connection was more
likely than a connection to LeT.


8. (C) Not all theories point to the bombings being a
politically motivated act. Punjab-based "Daily Ajit" Bureau
Chief Herkewaljit Singh told us that he thought the attacks
were not carried out by an organized group, but by aggrieved
Sikh individuals who planted the bombs in response to their
anger over the movie's religious mischaracterizations. The
film's title comes from a line in Sikh scripture which, the
SGPC and other Sikh critics maintain, should only be uttered
in prayer or in battle.


9. (C) Whether the bombs were placed by Sikh radicals,
jihadis, or individuals/groups not yet named, some Indian
sources accuse Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
of playing a role. Punjab-based editor and managing trustee
of the Press Trust of India wire service Avinash Chopra, who
lost his father and brother to Sikh terrorists in the 1980s,
told us that he is "convinced" that the bombings represent a
resurgent ISI-Khalistan nexus. An unidentified senior Delhi
police officer "who is heading the investigation" told
reporters that "this is the handiwork of ISI working with
some terrorists," and claimed that the attackers were
targeting "any crowded places" and not the film itself.

Police Also Investigating Small Blast
--------------


10. (SBU) At about 6 AM on May 23, one man in the Nand Nagri
area of Delhi was injured after he picked up a wallet rigged
with an explosive. Paul told reporters that forensics
experts were investigating whether this was related to the
movie hall attacks.

Comment
--------------


11. (C) Indian law enforcement officials are holding their
cards close to their chests during this unfolding
investigation, and the Home Ministry's refusal to engage with
the Embassy locks us out of knowing where the GOI
investigation is going. Meanwhile, the rumor mill has been
working full steam. Presumably, a cessation in attacks now
would strengthen the theory that the bombings are linked to
Sikh extremism, either organized or ad hoc, while a
continuation would bolster the theory of a jihadi connection.
A determination of ISI involvement would constitute a
significant escalation of Pakistani support for terrorism in
India and would place the Indo-Pak peace process under
considerable stress, but there is no clear evidence to
support such a determination. Embassy will follow up to seek
more information.
BLAKE