UPDATE: 5:40pm: Indian envoy to Afghanistan Amar Sinha clarified that initial reports about explosive-laden car near Herat consulate were wrong.
Original Story
A car transporting explosives was reportedly recovered near the Indian consulate in Afghan city of Herat on Friday.
Indian envoy to Afghanistan Amar Sinha said that one person had been arrested and the security in the area had been beefed up.
The development comes within a week after terrorists attacked the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif that coincided with the Pathankot air base attack in Punjab on Saturday. The twin attacks are seen as a plot to thwart India's efforts to improve ties with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
On 25 December, PM Narendra Modi had visited Afghanistan to inaugurate its new Parliament building, constructed by India at the cost of $90 million (Rs 710 crore). This was followed by a surprise visit to Pakistan the next day, which was welcomed by several world leaders.
The Herat consulate was previously attacked by four terrorists in May 2014 coinciding with the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Modi.
It was later shifted to a safer place in Herat's Bagh Millat where the US consulate was located earlier.
In August 2013, nine people were killed in a terrorist attack targeting India's Jalalabad consulate.
Herat: Initial report of explosives wrong. Experts have clarified that no traces of explosives found: Indian Envoy to Afghanistan Amar Sinha
— ANI (@ANI_news) January 8, 2016
