Shocker: Islamists Take Credit for India Bombings

This obviously means their endorsement of Barack Obama can't be far off.

An unknown Islamist group said on Thursday it set off coordinated blasts that tore through a packed shopping area in a popular Indian tourist city this week, but police say they were still verifying the claim.

Eight bombs, many strapped to bicycles, killed 61 people and injured 216 people in the western city of Jaipur on Tuesday.

But police also said the attack bore some hallmarks of the Bangladeshi militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (HuJI), and released a sketch of a man in his mid-2os seen near the scene of one bombing speaking Bengali, the main language of Bangladesh.

India has suffered a wave of bombings in recent years, with targets ranging from mosques and Hindu temples to trains. But it is unusual for any group to claim responsibility for attacks.

Islamist militant groups in Pakistan and Bangladesh intent on fanning hatred between Muslims and Hindus in India, and damaging a fragile peace process between New Delhi and Islamabad, are often blamed for bomb attacks in India.