Author: IBN:CNN
Publication: IBNLive.com
Date: September 24, 2008
URL: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/cops-say-terror-attack-on-mumbai-foiled-5-held/74248-3.html
Mumbai Police claim to have foiled a major
terror attack with the arrest of five alleged Indian Mujahideen activists
on Wednesday.
Police officials say all those arrested were
involved in all the bomb blasts in the country since 2005 including Mumbai
train blasts in 2006, the July 29 serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad and the
September 23 bombings in New Delhi.
All the suspected were also allegedly involved
in Sankatmochan temple blast in Varanasi, blasts in courts in Lucknow and
Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, blasts in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur and planting
of unexploded bombs in Surat, police said.
Addressing the media, Joint Commissioner of
Mumbai Police Rakesh Maria claimed that the arrested people have confessed
to their involved in some of the recent bomb blasts in the country and they
were also planning to target Mumbai in the near future.
Maria revealed that the five arrested are
Mohammad Sadiq Sheikh, Ahmed Sheikh, Arif Badr Sheikh, Mohammad Afzal Usmani
and Mohammad Zakiri.
All the five accused hail from Azamgad in
Uttar Pradesh.
"Saddik used to lure youths from his
village Sanjarpur in Azamgad and was involved in the planning of Delhi and
Ahmedabad blasts," Maria stated.
According to the police Sheikh is one of the
founding members of Indian Mujahideen along with suspected mastermind of Delhi
blasts, Atif. Usmani placed bomb at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and stole four
vehicles from Navi Mumbai which were used in the blasts.
Sadiq and Sheikh were picked up from Cheetah
Camp, while Arif was arrested from Chembur, Usmani from Azamgarh (Uttar Pradesh)
and Zakiri from Bhiwandi in Thane.
"We have recovered 10 kilograms of ammonium
nitrate, four electric circuits, submachine gun and revolvers," Maria
said adding that Sadiq was a programme engineer.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Hasan Gaffoor said
that their investigations helped prevent another series of blasts in Mumbai.
"The explosives for the blasts came from
Karnataka," Gaffoor revealed.
Police are also been investigating possible
Lashkar-e-Toiba and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami links of the five arrested persons.
"Three of the accused had gone to Pakistan
to undergo training, which was allegedly supported by the LeT and HuJI,"
Maria said, adding the money for weapons and explosives came through hawala
channels.
"Roshan Khan, founder member of Indian
Mujahideen, is still at large and is suspected to be in Pakistan," Maria
said.
Khan, resident of Karnataka, has been active
in Hyderabad, Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujarat, Maria said.
"The five have been booked for criminal
conspiracy and under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Explosives
Act and Arms Act," Maria said.
All the five were originally SIMI (Student's
Islamic Movement of India) members, but later joined Indian Mujahideen, police
said.
DEADLY DESIGN: Mumbai Police Commissioner
Hasan Gaffoor claims Mumbai was the next target.