Obama calls PM, condemns Pune blast, condoles loss of lives

United States President Barack Obama called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday morning to condemn the bomb blast carried out by unidentified terrorists at a popular eatery in Pune last Saturday evening, in which 11 people have died and 55 others were injured.

Officials in the Prime Minister's Office said Mr Obama also condoled the loss of lives in the explosion, which was the first major terrorist incident in India since the November 26, 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai which had claimed 166 lives.

In their brief conversation, Mr Obama and Dr Singh also took the opportunity to review developments in Indo-US relations, the officials added.

The blast occurred around 7.30 pm on Saturday when the restaurant was teeming with youngsters and foreigners, when a waiter noticed an unattended backpack under one of the tables and tried to open it.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) is investigating the case with assistance from officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The eatery is very close to the Osho Ashram and a Jewish Chabad House, both of which had been surveyed by suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Coleman Headley during one of his visits to India.

Headley, a US national of Pakistani origin, and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, also believed to be an LeT operative, were arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from Chicago in October last year for allegedly conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks in Denmark and India.

Subsequent investigations have led the authorities in the US and India to believe that the two men were involved in the conspiracy to carry out the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.

NNN