MUMBAI, July 12: A senior Indian investigator said on Wednesday that the Mumbai train attacks that killed at least 200 people could be linked to a Kashmiri militant group.

He said investigators were looking into a possible link with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, a Kashmiri militant group that has denied playing a role in the bombings.

“It is difficult to say definitely as this stage, but Lashkar-e-Tayyaba can be involved going by the style of attack,” said P.S. Pasricha, Director General of Police for Maharashtra state.

But other Indian officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was just getting under way, cautioned it was too early to accuse a specific group.

A spokesman for Lashkar, Abdullah Ghaznavi, denied the group was involved, saying in a statement that “Indian security forces blame Lashkar in an attempt to defame Kashmir freedom struggle.”

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna on Wednesday repeated Indian demands that Pakistan crack down on the militants, who New Delhi says operate from Azad Kashmir.

“We would urge Pakistan to take urgent steps to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on the territory under its control and act resolutely against individuals and groups who are responsible for terrorists’ violence,” he said.

Pasricha said that in recent months authorities had become aware Bombay could be targeted. “We had an idea since some months that Bombay was a target,” he told reporters. “Since it is the financial capital, there are many vulnerable areas in the city.”

He described the bombings as an attempt to undermine India’s future. “The country is on the path to progress,” Pasricha said, adding the attackers wanted to stoke fear and “stop investments”.

But analysts said the blasts were unlikely to hurt investor confidence.—AP