Tourists shot near Delhi mosque

Gunmen injure two foreign tourists

Tourists were in a bus parked near the mosque

Two foreign tourists have been injured after gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on a bus in the Indian capital, Delhi, police say.

The incident took place near the Jama Masjid mosque, a popular tourist destination.

Police sad the injured tourists were Taiwanese.

There have been concerns over the security situation in the city, which is due to host the Commonwealth Games next month.

Police, who have launched a search for the gunmen, said the attack happened near gate number three of the historic mosque but gave no further details.

A doctor from the nearby Lok Nayak Jay Prakash Hospital told the Agence France-Presse news agency that both the injured were men, and that one had been shot in the stomach.

Witnesses said the attackers fired with automatic weapons.

The mosque’s chief imam told the AFP that one of the two attackers fired randomly from outside one of the main gates of the shrine.

“The two terrorists came on a motorcycle and the man riding pillion first fired randomly at the mosque and then fired in the air and at the people, and then he fired on the bus in which the tourists had come,” he said.

“After emptying his gun, the terrorist replaced the magazine and began firing again,” the imam said.

“The police today proved to be a failure. How can the police protect foreigners when they arrive?” he added.

Security in Delhi has been tightened ahead of the the Commonwealth Games, which run from 3-14 October.

The country has suffered a number of serious militant attacks in the past few years.

In November 2008, at least 170 people were killed in co-ordinated attacks in Mumbai.

More recently, 17 people were killed in a blast at a bakery full of tourists and students in Pune in February.

Earlier on Sunday, Australia said it would send a team to the Games despite a warning from a private firm of consultants over the threats posed by failings in the city’s public transport network.

“Delhi is a densely populated city and the opportunity for a terrorist strike in the city’s choking traffic and crowds is obvious,” consultant Roger Henning told Australian News Limited newspapers.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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