posted July 26, 2008 05:44 AM              

quote:

---

BANGALORE: There's a certain inevitability about it. It's now almost a pattern that terrorists strike even before the nation recovers from its last shock, to leave it traumatized again.

The target this time was Bangalore, the country's IT capital, which has been in the terror shadow for long. The city became a target of eight serial blasts on Friday, leaving one dead, eight injured and the city scarred. The bombs were of low intensity, aimed more at dislocating economic activity than killing hundreds of people. ( Watch )

Only in May, 68 people were killed by terrorists in Jaipur. Even as the police was groping to identify the culprits there, terrorists cocked a snook at the security agencies, triggering eight serial blasts in 35 minutes at seven places during the busy lunch hour.

(In Pics: Bangalore serial bomb blasts)

The lone victim was Sudha, who was waiting at the Madivala bus stand. Her husband Ravi, who was standing beside her, was severely injured. Two others — Chetan and Gullamma — were also injured.

Police said the bombs were put together with ammonium nitrate, commonly used in gelatin sticks, and used nuts and bolts as shrapnel.

Timer devices were used to trigger the blasts between 1.40pm and 2.15pm in non-descript places — on a traffic island, inside a drain, a vacant plot next to a vehicle showroom. As word of the blasts spread, malls, cinema halls and schools shut down for the day.

No group claimed responsibility until late Friday, but intelligence sources said Lashkar-e-Taiba and SIMI were main suspects.

"The aim of these groups, whether Huji, LeT or SIMI, is clear. Bangalore and Hyderabad are chosen because by hitting them, panic can be conveyed to US and the west as these cities house their biggest IT operations," said a security official involved in the Mecca Masjid probe.

---