Terror strikes Bangalore again,17 injured in blast outside BJP office

The unclaimed motorcycle that was used in the blast seems to have been stolen. The chassis number and engine number will have to be verified with the manufacturers to track the users of the vehicle, said officials. They said the other identification numbers for the motorcycle did not appear to have been tampered with.

The motorcycle may have had an explosive device embedded in a portion of its chassis below the fuel tank and the whole bike may have acted as a vehicle-borne explosive,said sources closely involved in the investigations.

The motorcycle was parked next to a police truck,which bore the brunt of the blast.

Six cars and two other motorcycles were damaged.

PTI quoted Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R Ashoka as saying that it is a very clear act of terror… targeted at the BJP,our senior leaders and workers.

Pieces of what appeared to be detonators were recovered from the scene. The explosive is suspected to be a sizable quantity of ammonium nitrate,although this is yet to be verified. The force of the explosion sent parts of the motorcycle flying,damaging windows at a height of 40 feet from the ground as shrapnel travelled as far as 600 metres. The fuel tanks of the bike and nearby cars also caught fire.

Todays blast occurred on a day that marked three years of the serial blasts at the Chinnaswamy cricket stadium on April 17,2010 that left five people injured.

Meanwhile,NIA,NSG and CFSL teams have been sent to Bangalore. Union Home Ministry sources said initial reports pointed at the use of an IED with a nitrate-based compound.