By Arun Kumar
Washington, May 14 (IANS) The US has condemned the terrorist attacks in Jaipur and said it stands by the government and people of India in their ongoing fight to eliminate the scourge of terrorism. “The United States condemns the terrorist attacks in Jaipur that have killed and injured many innocent civilians,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Tuesday after serial bomb blasts in Jaipur that claimed 61 lives and left over 100 persons injured.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, and we express our deepest sympathies to the government and the people of India,” he said, adding: “There is no justification for the murder of innocent people”.

“The United States stands with the government and people of India in their ongoing fight to eliminate the scourge of terrorism, and to ensure an open, democratic, peaceful, and prosperous society,” McCormack said.

Earlier, as the first reports of the Jaipur attacks came in, he told reporters: “Given the facts that we know now, quite clearly, these bombs were intended to claim innocent lives, and it’s something that we very clearly condemn.”

“I can’t offer you any more insight as to who might be responsible or who the victims were,” McCormack said. He didn’t have any news reports of American citizens being affected by the attacks at that point of time.

Asked if he could rule out whether it was an Al Qaeda attack or not, the spokesman said: “Don’t know”.

“I mean, it was - as I understand it, based on the reports that we have, is five or six bombs set off, timed to go off in a compressed period of time, either in sequence or at the same time, quite clearly, an act designed to take innocent lives.”