US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said India has acted in a “very restrained, cautious and extremely professional” manner in the investigation of the car blast near the Red Fort in Delhi.
Rubio also said that “this was clearly a terrorist attack.” He said that the US has “offered assistance” in the investigation but India is “extremely capable” of conducting such an investigation.
“Yes, we are aware of the seriousness of this incident and its potential impact,” Rubio said at a news conference in the Canadian city of Hamilton on Wednesday. But I believe that the Indian authorities should be appreciated, they have conducted the investigation in a very restrained, cautious and professional manner.
“The investigation is ongoing,” he said. This was clearly a terrorist attack. A car was loaded with a huge amount of explosive material, which exploded and many people lost their lives. But India is investigating very thoroughly and I believe that when they have all the facts, they will make them public.
During the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, Rubio asked Foreign Minister S. Had also met Jaishankar. He was asked how concerned he was about the Red Fort blast and the rising tensions between India and Pakistan, especially in the backdrop of clashes between the two nuclear-armed neighbors in May this year and India’s crackdown on terror infrastructure in Pakistan under ‘Operation Sindoor’, which was in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
To this, Rubio said, “We are aware of the possible consequences of this incident.” Today we have also discussed a little about how much its scope can increase. But we will wait and see what India’s investigation brings out.
He also said that the US has offered help “but I think they (Indian agencies) are very capable in this kind of investigation.” They don’t need our help. They are doing a very good job and I found that like always, this time too they are proceeding in a very restrained and professional manner.
India on Wednesday termed the car blast outside the Red Fort as a “despicable terrorist incident” and directed investigating agencies to investigate the matter with “utmost promptness and professionalism” so that the perpetrators and their sponsors are brought to justice without any delay.
After meeting Rubio, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said in a post on ‘X’, “Met Foreign Minister Marco Rubio at the G7 FMM session today. Express my gratitude for their condolences on the loss of lives in the Delhi blast. We discussed our bilateral relations especially on trade and supply chain. Also shared views on Ukraine conflict, situation in West Asia and Indo-Pacific region.