World leaders condemn train bombings

World leaders rushed to condemn the deadly train bombings that killed at least 190 people in Mumbai.

Eight bombs tore through packed commuter trains during the Tuesday evening rush hour, killing scores of people and wounding hundreds more, drawing near-universal condemnation.

“There is no justification for the vicious murder of innocent people,” said US president George Bush.

“The US stands with the people and the government of India and condemns in the strongest terms these atrocities, which were committed against innocent people as they went about their daily lives.

“Such acts only strengthen the resolve of the international community to stand united against terrorism.”

US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice also condemned the attacks, but warned that “this kind of hideous incident can happen anywhere in the world against innocent people”.

British prime minister Tony Blair also denounced the “brutal and shameful attacks”.

“We stand united with India, as the world’s largest democracy, through our shared values and our shared determination to defeat terrorism in all its forms,” he said.

No one has claimed responsibility for the bombings, although suspicion has fallen on Kashmiri militants who want independence from India, or a merger with mostly-Muslim Pakistan.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the attacks and President Pervez Musharraf offered his condolences, calling for terrorism to be “condemned, rejected and countered effectively and comprehensively”.

Australia’s prime minister John Howard joined the chorus of condemnation, calling the bombings “an attack on the democratic way of life” and warning that it could happen anywhere.

“We can’t afford to assume that it will never happen in our country,” said Howard, who visited Mumbai in March.

“Such a terrorist act that targets many innocent civilians is contemptible and unforgivable,” Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary Shinzo Abe said.

New Zealand’s foreign minister Winston Peters said the bombings were “clearly co-ordinated in order to cause as many deaths and injuries as possible to innocent people”, while the Venezuelan government – which has identified India as a key economic partner – called for “permanent peace and tranquility to return to the heart of the noble homeland of Gandhi”.

Police in the Philippine capital Manila tightened security on commuter trains after the blasts.

Bangladesh condemned the bombings, saying the country “has always stood against terrorist acts in all its forms and manifestations”.

Prime minister Khaleda Zia expressed “shock and horror” in a message to her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh and hoped India “will be able to bring the perpetrators of this violent act to justice”.