TERRORISTS USE U.P. NODES TO SWIFTLY REACT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 005158 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA, DS/DSS/ITA, AND S/CT/ALLAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/29/2017 TAGS: PTER AESC PGOV CASC PREL KISL IN SUBJECT: TERRORISTS USE U.P. NODES TO SWIFTLY REACT TO JAISH ARRESTS REF: A. NEW DEHLI 5071 ¶B. NEW DELHI 5047 NEW DELHI 00005158 001.3 OF 002 Classified By: Political Counselor Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B and D) ¶1. (C) Summary: The November 23 terrorist bombings in Varanasi, Lucknow and Faizabad in response to the arrests of three alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) members seeking to kidnap Rahul Gandhi killed at least thirteen people and injured many more (Ref A). Politicians quickly scrambled to blame each other. Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Mayawati blamed the center and the Intelligence Bureau (IB),the IB blamed the central government, and UP opposition leader Mulayam Singh Yadav blamed Mayawati. Inconclusive evidence points to two separate terrorist groups, perhaps working in concert. UP media outlets received three warning emails, one shortly before the blasts and two in the days following. If the two are indeed linked, the quick reaction time shows that UP-based terrorists have developed a worrisome ability to strike seemingly at will. On a positive note, the GOI requested USG law enforcement assistance in the case. End Summary Events of November 23 -------------- ¶2. (U) Approximately five minutes before the attacks, local media outlets in UP received an email warning them. Police believe that the email was sent from a cyber cafe in Delhi, according to press reports. The message claims that a group calling itself Mujahideen India carried out the bombings. It further states the blasts were in response to the poor treatment received by three arrested terrorists from lawyers in Lucknow who refused to defend the men. The police claim the arrested men were part of JeM and were planning to kidnap Rahul Gandhi (Ref B). ¶3. (U) Varanasi: The first blast occurred at 1:05pm very close to the Varanasi courthouse. Within five minutes, two more bombs exploded, creating chaos around the courthouse in an area in which local lawyers have their traditional makeshift outdoor offices. Nine people died and fifty-six were injured. ¶4. (U) Lucknow: A single blast went off at 1:32pm just outside the entrance to the city courthouse. There were no casualties or injuries. A senior police officer in Lucknow described the blast as "minor." An additional, more powerful bomb was reportedly found attached to a bicycle outside the courthouse. However, its timer failed to detonate and police disarmed the device. ¶5. (U) Faizabad: Within minutes of the Varanasi and Lucknow blasts, two bombs exploded near the Faizabad courthouse. The bombings killed four people and injured twenty-four. The Blame Game Ensues -------------- ¶6. (U) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati quickly blamed the central government in an attempt to absolve state law enforcement, saying "It is unfortunate that the state government had no prior knowledge nor was it alerted by the central intelligence agencies, which are responsible for giving prior information about terrorist incidents." ¶7. (U) Not missing a beat, UP opposition leader Yadav placed the blame squarely on his political rival, claiming "It is a total failure of the state government and speaks volumes of Mayawati government's inability to provide security to the people." Touring the blast site, Yadav told reporters, "I fail to understand how Mayawati was trying to pass the buck to the center when her own government's lapses were clearly visible." ¶8. (U) For their part, IB officials tried to cover themselves by saying that the central government had not implemented security measures recommended after the Kargil NEW DELHI 00005158 002.3 OF 002 War. Investigation Yields Little -------------- ¶9. (U) In the days following the blasts media outlets received two more emails claiming further attacks. The emails contained threats against Mumbai railway stations and the Pakistani cricket team, currently in Kolkata. Police are working to verify their assumption that all three emails were from the same group. ¶10. (U) Thus far, however, police have very few clues. All the bombs were placed on either bicycles or motorbikes near the courthouses. Police have confirmed the use of ammonium nitrate in all the explosives except for the defused Lucknow bomb. That bomb contained C-4 RDX, which has led to speculation that Bangladesh based Harkat-ul-Jihadi-Islamia (HuJI) could be involved. In June of this year, police claim to have arrested two HuJI terrorists with seven kilos of C-4 RDX and various other bomb components. HuJI is suspected in blasts this summer in Hyderabad. Unanswered Questions and Rumors Swirl -------------- ¶11. (C) Comment: As in many such incidents in India where any one of dozens of groups may have a plausible motive, the law enforcement apparatus has made little progress. Hard facts remain elusive. C-4 RDX suggests HuJI, but the choice of sites and victims (civil vs. religious) leaves many analysts doubtful of a religious angle. Alternatively, JeM involvement appears plausible, but the targeting of Varanasi and Faizabad in addition to Lucknow is peculiar. However, if police claims of JeM involvement in the kidnapping plot prove accurate, then a clear link would be established. In the media, police and state intelligence sources have theorized that JeM could have sought the help of HuJI as the groups have close ties. Regardless of which group planted the bombs - HuJI, JeM or a homegrown terror network - if the attack was in response to the November 16 Rahul kidnapping plot arrests, the speed of retaliation is deeply troubling. It indicates a capable terror network is in place in UP. ¶12. (C) Interestingly, Indian law enforcement has not handled the investigation in its usual manner. Normally, police quickly round up the usual suspects and engage in a public relations game to demonstrate that they had "cracked" the case. With this investigation, however, law enforcement has taken a more measured approach, even taking the rare step of requesting USG help. New Delhi RSO and LEGATT consider this a positive development. USG help centers on technical assistance in tracking the three emails. End Comment MULFORD