Author:
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: January 31, 2003
Flummoxed by the series of bomb
blasts in Mumbai in December and January, police theorise that the explosions
are part of a fund-raising drive by smaller terrorist organisations based
in the Middle East. They say that the blasts were meant to prove the might
of these organisations so that the large terror networks such as the Al
Qaeda would be prepared to divert funds to them.
The timing of the explosions, police
sources say, coincides with religious events in the Middle East this is
when vast donations are received by terrorist organisations. It is also
the time when Abdul Bari alias Abu Hamza, who heads the newly-formed Muslim
Defence Force (MDF), is lobbying for big money to channel into his organisation.
Deputy Commissioner of Police with
the Crime Branch, Pradip Sawant, told Newsline that Hamza is the most likely
suspect behind the blasts. Sawant says a formal request for his deportation
has been forwarded to the United Arab Emirates.
Also, Hamza has made a deliberate
attempt to mislead investigators into believing that there is no foreign
hand behind the blasts, which is why none of the explosions involved the
use of RDX or other explosives manufactured overseas.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh police
has instituted an inquiry into the likely role of the MDF into a blast
in Hyderabad in November last year and to find out whether there is any
link to the explosions in Mumbai. A special team is in the city.
