The Hindu : New Delhi News : "Fidayeen" attack explosive smuggled in from Dhaka

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 30, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

"Fidayeen" attack explosive smuggled in from Dhaka

Devesh K. Pandey

`Conspiracy to target STF office hatched in head office of HuJI'

NEW DELHI: Investigations have revealed that the liquid explosive meant for use in the "fidayeen" attack at the Special Task Force (STF) office in Hyderabad this past October was smuggled in by Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami (HuJI) militants from Dhaka in Bangladesh.

And the equipment required to assemble the bomb was bought from local markets in Hyderabad.

Investigations have also revealed that the conspiracy to target the STF office had been hatched in the Dhaka head office of HuJI, where militants belonging to Hyderabad were involved in providing logistical support to the core strike team, including Pakistan-trained "fidayeen" Motasin Billa.

After finalising details of the operation, Nafiq-ul-Vishwas, who was arrested under the Arms Act this November at Malda in West Bengal, Sharif, Motasin Billa and Abdul Kalim aka Arshad Khan crossed over to India through the West Bengal border and reached Howrah. They were carrying a five-litre jerkin containing explosives in the form of liquid.

The terrorists boarded the Hyderabad-bound East Coast Express train at Howrah railway station.

However, on the way the liquid explosive began leaking from the jerkin giving off a pungent smell. Afraid of getting caught, the militants decided to discontinue their train journey.

They alighted from the train at Kakiwada and took a bus to Vijayawada, from where they boarded another bus to Hyderabad and alighted at Imliban bus station. During interrogation, Nafiq allegedly revealed that he and the other militants then went to the house of Aslam, who was the brother of Abdul Kalim.

The terrorists then visited some local markets from where they bought insulation wires, a voltmeter, a 9-volt battery and other articles used in assembling a bomb. Around 12-15 p.m. on October 12, the improvised explosive device expert, Motasin, assembled the bomb and later he and Kalim left for the STF office.

At 7-25 p.m., Motasin detonated the bomb killing himself and a Home Guard constable deployed at the STF office.

The group that carried out the operation was being handled by Gulam Yajdani, who fled to Bangladesh after eliminating a prominent political leader, Hiren Pandya, in Gujarat.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi