Indian Mujahideen threatens Commonwealth Games

NEW DELHI - The Indian Mujahideen threatened to unleash violence during the Commonwealth Games in a statement issued Sunday soon after a terror attack at the Jama Masjid injured two foreigners.

While making no reference to the Jama Masjid shooting by two men on a motorcycle who escaped, a statement by the outlawed group denounced the killings of civilians in the Kashmir Valley and pledged to hit at the Commonwealth Games starting here Oct 3.

“On the one hand Muslim blood is flowing like water while on the other hand you are preparing for the festival of games,” said the statement emailed to BBC Hindi service. “We warn you to host the Commonwealth Games.

“We know that preparations for the Games are at its peak; beware, we too are preparing in full swing for a great surprise,” said the statement.

“The participants will be solely responsible for the outcome (of our attacks) as our bands of mujahideen love death more than you love life,” it said.

Indian Mujahideen is believed to be a shadow outfit of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and has also been linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

It came into the spotlight Feb 23, 2005 when it carried out a blast in Varanasi. It was also blamed for the September 2008 Delhi serial bombings that killed over two dozen people.

The Indian Mujahideen statement spoke mostly about the Kashmir Valley, where more than 100 civilians have been killed since June 11 in firing by security forces trying to break up mobs.

“Muslim life is cheaper than vegetables in Kashmir,” it said. “The criminal silence of the international community is far more dangerous than the oppression on Kashmiri Muslims.”

The statement made no reference to the Sunday morning shooting near the 16th century Jama Masjid that left two Taiwanese tourists injured. But it vaguely referrd to “this attack” as a revenge for the killing of two its members earlier in Delhi.