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4 Suspected In Deadly Twin Blasts

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By OMER FAROOQ, The Associated Press

Published: September 2, 2007

HYDERABAD, India - Police arrested two people Saturday and formally named two others who were in custody as suspects in recent bombings in southern Indian that killed at least 43 people, an official said.

The four were part of a group that brought explosives to Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh state, Police Commissioner Balwinder Singh said.

'We are trying to verify whether the same explosives were used in the recent blasts,' Singh said.

Two blasts took place minutes apart on Aug. 25 in crowded areas of the city.

Police have blamed Islamic militants based in neighboring Pakistan and Bangladesh - both mainly Muslim countries - for the bombings, saying they hoped to create tension between India's Hindu majority and Muslim minority. Pakistan and Bangladesh have denied the claim.

The arrests were made after one of the suspects told police that he brought nearly 22 pounds of explosives to Hyderabad from Bangladesh in February, Singh said.

The suspect was arrested previously this year after he illegally crossed into India from Bangladesh. He was first jailed in Mumbai, India's financial capital, and then taken to Hyderabad in June for suspected involvement in a blast at a local mosque a month earlier, Singh said.

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