Mosque bomb kills 11, sets off clashes in India

HYDERABAD, India – A bomb ripped through a historic mosque Friday in south India, and 13 people were killed – 11 in the blast and two in subsequent clashes between angry Muslim worshippers and security forces, police said.

Minutes after the blast at the 17th-century Mecca Masjid, worshippers who were angered by what they said was a lack of police protection began chanting, “God is great!” Some hurled stones at police, who dispersed them with baton charges and tear gas.

While the situation at the mosque was quickly brought under control, Muslims later clashed with security forces in at least three parts of Hyderabad. Police fired live ammunition and tear gas to quell the riots, killing two people, an official said.

The bombing, which killed 11 people and wounded 35, and clashes raised fears of wider Hindu-Muslim violence in the city.