US President Donald Trump has accused the slain Iranian military leader Qassam Soleimani of being responsible for terrorist plots in New Delhi.
"Soleimani made the death of innocent people his sick passion, contributing to terrorist plots as far away as New Delhi and London,a Trump said on Friday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Flordia.
Speaking about the missile strike he ordered to kill Soleimani, he said, "Today we remember and honour the victims of Soleimani's many atrocities and we take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over."
While Trump did not specify the plots in India, he may have been referring to a 2012 bombing of the car of the wife of the Israeli defence attache to India.
Tal Yehoshua Koren was injured and underwent surgery to remove shrapnel and her driver and two bystanders were also hurt in the attack on February 13, 2012, using a bomb that was attached to the vehicle with a magnet.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran was behind that attack and another attempted attack using similar technique in Georgia.
The New Delhi case not been resolved so far and a conclusive link to Iran has not been made by India.
News reports at that time said that the attack was carried out by Iran in retaliation for the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan in Teheran using a bomb with a magnet attached to his car, allegedly by Israelis.
An Indian journalist, Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, was arrested on March 6 that year and accused of being a part of a conspiracy to carry out the attack and held under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
He was released on bail by the Supreme Court in October on the condition that he does not go abroad.
According to news reports at that time, Delhi police alleged that he had carried out reconnaissance for the Iranians who carried out the attack.
The five persons who carried out the attacks were Iranian members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard who had visited Delhi, police were quoted as saying. They were not arrested although police identified them.
An Iranian major general, Soleimani was the leader of the Quds force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. But his name did not figure in the reports at that time on theAIndian attack.
In his address on the killing of Soleimani in Iraq on Thursday, Trump said on Friday, "Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him."
He listed several alleged attacks directed by Soleimani and carried out by the Quds Force and allied militias.
"For years, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its ruthless Quds Force -- under Soleimani's leadership -- has targeted, injured, and murdered hundreds of American civilians and servicemen," Trump said.
He blamed Soleimani for the recent attacks on US targets in Iraq, including rocket strikes that killed an American and injured four American servicemen, as well as the assault on the US embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.
The attacks in India Trump is referring to had occurred when India had just replaced China as Iran's sole biggest crude oil importer. The imports had increased to 5,50,000 barrels per day in January 2012.
The question of 'Why would Iran do this to its biggest customer?' arose affter the attacks.
Delhi police had detained five people in connection with the incident but they were released after interrogation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had blamed Iran for attacks in India and Georgia. He also said that Iran is the greatest exporter of terrorism in the world and Iraeli government will continue to take action against terrorism.
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks but denied all allegations against them.
