13/7 accused joined Qaida, fought in Af

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The police team probing the 13/7 Mumbai serial blasts may have landed a bigger catch in Haroon Rasheed Naik than they would have imagined.

Naik, alias Umar Akbar alias Mushtaque Shaikh alias Salahuddin alias Maulana (33), appears to have been a very important person in the terrorist Indian Mujahideen (IM) hierarchy. He was trained in Pakistan twice and took part in the war against America. “He fought alongside al-Qaida fighters in Kandahar in 2001,” said Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Rakesh Maria.

The ATS chief said that Naik was part of the IM’s core committee which is responsible for taking key decisions. “He was among the top three members of the IM and was senior to Yasin Bhatkal alias Imran (suspected 13/7 kingpin),” added Maria. Naik was first arrested on August 22 last year in a fake currency case at the airport but the police did not announce his alleged involvement in the July 13 blasts.

Delhi cops arrest civil engineer D elhi police’s Special Team has arrested a civil engineer, a key member of the Indian Mujahideen, from Bihar. Mohd Tariq Anjum Hasan, 34, was reportedly a SIMI member in 1998 and was indoctrinated into terrorism when he went to Bhatkal to study engineering. He, along with Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal, formed IM in 2001. P 14

13/7 suspect may have applied for 9/11 role
Mumbai: Key IM operative Haroon Rashid Naik was first arrestedin August2010,butthe police declared his role in 13/7 only this week. Naik was the fourth person to be booked in theblastscaseon February 1.

“In 2001, IM member Riyaz Bhatkal sent him for training in handling arms to Pakistan’s Bahawalpur camp where he met LeT lieutenant Azam Cheema. After completing two sessions of Daura-e-Aam and Daura-e-Khaastraining,heenrolled for Bait-e-Rizwan, a training camp in waging war. He was recruited by the Al-Qaida and participated in a battle at Kandahar in 2001,” said ATS chief, Rakesh Maria. Naik faceschargesof facilitating hawala transactions in the blasts cases. “He was in charge of sending money to IM operatives from Saudi Arabia to India ,” said police. Naik had allegedly sentRs10lakhfor the13/7 blasts. In 2005, Naik crossed over the Attari-Wagha border on a Nepalese passport. Cops say he had split from the LeT and joined hands with IM’s Amir Raza.Reportsclaimedhe had enrolled for the 9/11 attacks but was declared unfit. However, there is no confirmation of theepisode.

An ATS team raided hawala operator Kanwar Nain Pathrija’s Ghaziabad house and recovered two diaries (containing records of hawala transactions), broken mobiles and a SIM card. He allegedly used the SIM to contact Naik before the blasts. The ATS will approachtheED andDRItodiscussif they can probe the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ATS has written tothestate andCentre.

Number 4 in IM arrested
New Delhi: After a three month-long bid to catch Indian Mujahideen (IM) Indian operations boss – Ahmad Siddi Bappa alias Yasin Bhatkal alias Shahrukh, Delhi police’s special team arrested Mohammad Tariq Anjum Hasan (34) from Bihar, the number four of the organization. He has close connections with Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal (in Pakistan)— the number one and two of the organization. Tariq was reportedly a SIMI member in 1998, but after it was banned in 2001, joined hands with Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal to form IM in 2003. —Dwaipayan Ghosh and Neeraj Chauhan | TNN


The Times of India, February 4, 2012