26-yr-old held for Kanpur bomb blast

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), in a joint operation with the Uttar Pradesh police, arrested a 26-year-old man from Nalasopara for his alleged role in the Kanpur bomb blast in 2000.

According to ATS, the suspect Mohammad Asad Siddiqui, was part of a group which had allegedly planned a bomb blast, on the occasion of Independence Day in 2000. However, the bomb which was planted exploded on August 14 and injured three policemen. Siddiqui, who was 15 years old when the blast occurred, has been staying in Nalasopara west since then.

“We arrested Siddiqui on Friday from Nalasopara and we will hand him over to the UP police since they are probing the case,” said Pradip Sawant, deputy police commissioner of the ATS.

According to the police, Siddiqui was absconding since the blast occurred in the Arya Nagar area of Kanpur. He owned Astech Internet Solutions in Nalasopara, the police said.

ATS officers said that Siddiqui has admitted that he was a member of banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Siddiqui was produced in Esplanade court on Saturday and remanded in transit remand custody till March 2.


The Times of India, February 27, 2011