IB sounds Mumbai alert after Pune blast

Following the terror blast in a Pune bakery on Saturday evening, the Intelligence Bureau has put Mumbai on a high alert

Intelligence sources say they were trying to ascertain who was behind the blast, and added that there were intercepts that the Indian Mujahideen in coordination with the Lashkar-e-Tayiba was attempting to carry out a terror strike in the country.

The Anti Terrorist Squad which has rushed to Pune to examine the blast, says prima facie it appears that the IM could be behind the blast. The police say it is a high density blast and the bomb had gone off when a person near the bakery tried to open an unidentified bag.

Pune has been on the radar of terror organisations for some time now. The American suspect in 26/11, David Headley, during his Mumbai mission had visited Pune and carried out  recce near the Osho ashram. Further the interrogation of Shahzad alias Pappu, arrested for the Delhi blasts, had pointed out that the IM modules in Pune were active, even though he did not spell out that they would attack Pune.

IB sources say the IM which had been bogged down since the last two years was trying to make a comeback with another name. The IB also suspects that some members of the IM were upset with the killing of lawyer Shahid Azmi in Mumbai this week and were planning to retaliate.

The blast in Pune took place barely a couple of hours after Azmi was cremated in Mumbai.