Tuesday, March 22 2005 18:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: India today (Mar 22, 2005) described the recent terrorist attack in Doha as a ''criminal act", which targeted innocent people and expressed its solidarity with the Government and people of Qatar.

"We condemn the terrorist attack in Doha on March 19, 2005, which took the life of an expatriate and caused many casualties and considerable property damage," External Affairs Ministry spokesman said.

"We express our condolences for the victims of this criminal act, which targeted innocent people, and convey our sympathy and solidarity with the Government and people of the State of Qatar, with which India has very close, friendly and cooperative relations," he said.

An Egyptian suicide bomber carried out the weekend attack on a suburban theatre that killed one Briton and wounded 12 other people, the Qatari Government said.

The car bombing in the normally quiet Qatar came days after a man purporting to be al-Qaeda's leader in the Gulf called for attacks on Western interests.