Hyderabad, May. 18 (PTI): A suspected terror attack at the historic Mecca mosque here today claimed 12 lives and injured 50 after a powerful remote-controlled bomb ripped through a gathering of thousands offering Friday prayers.

Nine persons were believed to have been killed due to the blast, while there was confusion whether the other three succumbed to injuries or in subsequent police firing on people protesting in the aftermath of the explosion.

Three live bombs were detected at the mosque in the communally sensitive Charminar area and defused -- two immediately after the blast at 1.30 pm in an area where ablutions are performed and the third later in the evening near the gate. Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy confirmed five deaths in the blast but police and official sources put the toll at 12.

Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta said in Delhi the blast appeared to have a terror link while the Chief Minister said it was an act of "intentional sabotage" by anti-social elements opposed to communal amity.

No group claimed responsibility for the blast which state police chief S A Basith said was remotely triggered with a mobile phone.

Many were taken unawares when the explosion occurred at the 300-year-old mosque built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, scaring hundreds of pigeons that took to the skies. People then ran helter-skelter across the mosque's sprawling courtyard, trying to get to the closest exit.

Some who were bleeding profusely were helped in getting out of the mosque. The injured, placed on makeshift stretchers, were rushed to the nearby Osmania and other hospitals in ambulances and private vehicles.

The blast immediately sparked violence by groups of angry people, who targeted shops, petrol pumps and business outlets in the Charminar area. Police opened fire and claimed later they only used rubber bullets, dismissing reports that they had used live ammunition that could kill people.

State Home Minister K Jana Reddy was prevented from entering the mosque by a crowd that shut its huge green wooden doors in his face. Only after some persuasion by him and officials was he allowed to make an on-the-spot inspection.

The Rapid Action Force was deployed in sensitive areas of the city to maintain peace. A high alert was sounded across Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi.

Chief Minister Reddy said the blast was an act of "intentional sabotage to disturb the peace and harmony in the state".

"Some inputs were coming in the last two-and-half months that some elements were trying to disturb peace. All steps were taken. But still such things do happen," he said.

Reddy announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs for the kin of the dead and Rs 20,000 to those hurt. Good medical treatment would be given to the injured, he added.

PM deplores blast, appeals for peace and harmony

Condemning the bomb blast Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today appealed to the people to maintain peace and communal harmony.

"The Prime Minister has condemned the bomb blast in Hyderabad and has urged members of all communities to maintain peace and communal harmony," PM's Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru said in a statement in Delhi.

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