The Hindu : Front Page : Police: Qasmi has confessed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Police: Qasmi has confessed

Manas Dasgupta

“He also confirms Mansuri’s role ”

AHMEDABAD: Abul Bashar Qasmi, described by the Gujarat police as the mastermind behind the Ahmedabad serial blasts, has “confessed” to his and his team’s involvement in the terror attack, according to Abhay Chudasma, Joint Commissioner, Ahmedabad Crime Branch police.

Mr. Chudasma said Qasmi also confirmed the role of Sajid Mansuri, another arrested senior member of the Students Islamic Movement of India, in the blasts. “We are questioning him on the details of other locals involved in the terror attack.”

The police suspected Qasmi and Sajid’s involvement in the Jaipur blasts too, but “we are still questioning Qasmi on the Jaipur link.”

Qasmi was picked up from his native village in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday and brought here on Sunday. He will be under police remand till August 31.

Six other senior SIMI members, besides eight locals, were also arrested.

The police said Qasmi had taken over charge of the SIMI national network after the arrest of the top activist Safdar Nagori and his brother Karimuddin Nagori in Indore in Madhya Pradesh in March. Safdar and Karimuddin had originally planned the execution of the Ahmedabad blasts and to carry out bombings in Surat too. The two organised SIMI camps in Kerala in last December, and at Pavagadh (near Vadodara) this January to train and indoctrinate those who were to take part in the terror acts.

Letter to Safdar

Qasmi wrote a letter to Safdar, who was lodged in a Madhya Pradesh jail, that he would execute his “unfulfilled plans.” For two months, Qasmi stayed in a house in the Vatwa locality here. He also spent considerable time in Vadodara and Broach, finalising the details of the execution of the blasts. He attended the final meeting of the terror group on July 20, before returning to his native village.

Ashish Bhatia, Joint Commissioner, Crime Branch, said the Gujarat police were in touch with their Madhya Pradesh counterparts to seek transfer of Safdar to Ahmedabad for questioning.

House sealed

Meanwhile, the Vadodara police sealed a house, which, they believe, was used for making the bombs planted in Ahmedabad and Surat. They now believe that the person who made the bombs was not Imran, but Taufique Bilal, a computer engineer. Bilal had hacked the e-mail address of an American citizen to send the warning mail, minutes before the blasts.

The police maintain that the bombs were assembled in Vadodara between July 21 and 23, after which Taufique returned to Mumbai and sent the e-mail.

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

Front Page