India police make arrest, study CCTV over temple bombs

PATNA: Indian police arrested a man on Monday over the weekend attacks at the historic Bodh Gaya Buddhist temple complex and were studying CCTV footage that appeared to show two men planting explosives at the site.

The Indian government condemned the "terror attack" at one of Buddhism's holiest sites after nine small bombs exploded on Sunday morning, wounding two monks at the world-renowned pilgrimage destination in eastern Bihar state.

"The police are doing everything to identify the two persons on the basis of the CCTV footage," local police official Chandan Kushwaha told.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but police arrested a local man who was being questioned in connection with the blasts.

"A man identified as Vinod Mistri was taken into custody in connection with the serial bomb blasts in Bodh Gaya," state police official S.K. Bharadwaj told.

Police picked up Mistri in the Barachatti area, a stronghold of Maoist insurgents 129 kilometres (80 miles) south of the state capital Patna, Bharadwaj said.

Delhi police said they had earlier warned officials that militants could target the temple complex as revenge for Buddhist violence against Muslims in neighbouring Myanmar.

Attacks on Buddhists are rare in India, but there have been tensions in the region recently following clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar, as well as in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Two more bombs were found and defused at the complex on Sunday, one of them near the temple's celebrated 80-feet-tall (24-metre) statue of the Buddha.