Duo was trained in same Pak camps as Kasab, say police

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: Faheem Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed, both arrested in connection with the 26/11 terror attacks, underwent training at camps near Muridke, Muzaffarabad and Manshera in Pakistan where the 10 terrorists responsible for the Mumbai strikes were trained. However, the crime branch is yet to establish a ‘direct link’ between Kasab, Ansari and Ahmed.

“Abu Hamza and Abu Qafa, who trained Kasab and his nine accomplices, had also trained Faheem and Ahmed in Pakistan. The handlers as well as the camps where Faheem and the 10 Pakistani terrorists were trained are the same. We are probing if Faheem had provided them the CDs and photos of iconic buildings and landmarks in Mumbai,’’ said a crime branch officer.

According to the police, Faheem had done a recce of more than 12 places in Mumbai, including CST, Hotel Taj and Hilton Tower.

He even got himself admitted to a computer class near the Bombay Stock Exchange to get more information about the building.

Faheem used to work at the family’s envelope-making unit in Goregaon before taking up a job at Al-Bilad printing press near Al-Qouz, Dubai, on December 1, 2005 for a monthly salary equivalent to Rs 14,000.

“However, one fine day Faheem left his passport in Dubai and disappeared. His kafeel (employer) had lodged a missing complaint with the Al-Murakkabah police station there in 2006,’’ an official said.

He was in touch with the family till December 2007, till his phone (00971508819200) went out of order, the official added. Faheem had rented a room at Grant Road as well and had paid a year’s rent of Rs 50,000 for it in advance. The money, the police claimed, was sent to Faheem by the LeT.

The Times of India, December 19, 2008