What's new

German Bakery bomber arrested!

Spitfighter

SENIOR MEMBER
Joined
May 30, 2009
Messages
1,443
Reaction score
0
Country
India
Location
United States
Mon, May 24 08:23 PM

Mumbai, May 24 (IANS) In a potentially significant breakthrough in the Feb 13 German Bakery terror blast in Pune, an Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative Abdul Samad Bhatkal was arrested from Mangalore airport Monday, police said. Bhatkal is believed to have planted the bomb that exploded killing 17 people.

However, top Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), police and home ministry sources in Maharashtra declined to comment on the development till late in the evening.

Samad (23), a resident of Bhatkal town of North Kanara district of Karnataka, is said to be a close associate of IM founders Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, police sources said here.

Following a tip-off, Samad was nabbed by the Maharashtra ATS shortly after he landed from a Dubai flight at Bajpe International Airport in the morning, they said.

He is now lodged at the Bajpe police station in Mangalore and is likely to be brought to Mumbai soon.

Among other things, Bhatkal is believed to have planted the deadly bomb which ripped through the German Bakery in Pune, killing 17 people, including foreigners.

Believed to be a contract killer, Bhatkal's arrest is also expected to throw light on other terror acts elsewhere in the country.

This is said to be the third major development in the Pune terror blast probe. Earlier, the name of one Yasin Bhatkal came out during the investigations. This was followed by the freezing of 14 bank accounts in The Ratnakar Bank Ltd, Nanapeth Branch of Pune, belonging to one Mohsin Ismail Chowdhary.

German Bakery blast suspect nabbed from Mangalore airport - Yahoo! India News

Impressive work by the ATS. May he burn in hell for eternity.
 
.
good work by the ATS, congrats. We need to increase surveillance and intelligence gathering operations so such bombings can be avoided.
 
.
Some progress made, Now let me tell you all guys the remaining end of the story which would most likely be appearing within a few days or weeks.

Mr.Bhatkal or all of the bhatkal gang members, are Indian nationals but they were lost and then kidnapped during a celebration in village (mela, cudnt find appropriate word=S) in his/their childhood and were taken to western borders of Pakistan adjoining Afghanistan where they grew up being trained as professional A-Grade Terrorists. And they were later recruited by LeT or Jamat-ud-Dawa and then sent to India to carry on terrorist activities in the country and destabilize it.:yahoo:
 
.
Some progress made, Now let me tell you all guys the remaining end of the story which would most likely be appearing within a few days or weeks.

Mr.Bhatkal or all of the bhatkal gang members, are Indian nationals but they were lost and then kidnapped during a celebration in village (mela, cudnt find appropriate word=S) in his/their childhood and were taken to western borders of Pakistan adjoining Afghanistan where they grew up being trained as professional A-Grade Terrorists. And they were later recruited by LeT or Jamat-ud-Dawa and then sent to India to carry on terrorist activities in the country and destabilize it.:yahoo:

lmao glad to see some humor on pdf :lol:
on a serious note, I believe that regardless of who trains these people. it is our failure if we can't prevent such things from happening, blaming someone else doesn't help us in anyway
 
.
Some progress made, Now let me tell you all guys the remaining end of the story which would most likely be appearing within a few days or weeks.

Mr.Bhatkal or all of the bhatkal gang members, are Indian nationals but they were lost and then kidnapped during a celebration in village (mela, cudnt find appropriate word=S) in his/their childhood and were taken to western borders of Pakistan adjoining Afghanistan where they grew up being trained as professional A-Grade Terrorists. And they were later recruited by LeT or Jamat-ud-Dawa and then sent to India to carry on terrorist activities in the country and destabilize it.:yahoo:

:rofl:


India’s Home-Grown Jihadi Threat: A Profile of the Indian Mujahideen


Unknown before 2008, the Indian Mujahedeen (IM) has emerged as a well-organized jihadi terrorist group in India, claiming responsibility for a number of terror attacks perpetrated in various urban centers of India during 2007-2008. Even though the exact moment of IM’s formation is not known, the recent arrest of a number of IM operatives has revealed its possible existence and involvement in terror strikes in India as far back as late October 2005. The name “Indian Mujahideen” was reportedly conceived at a terrorist conclave attended by top leaders of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) in Pakistani-administered Kashmir in early May 2008 (Rediff.com, July 29, 2008).

The well-concealed rise of the Indian Mujahedeen as a home grown jihadi organization is not a good omen for India’s security. IM came into the open for the first time in November 2007, when simultaneous bomb blasts targeted lawyers in court premises in three Uttar Pradesh cities—Varanasi, Faizabad (Ayodhya), and Lucknow (NDTV, November 23, 2007). IM described the attacks as “Islamic raids” and justified them as revenge against lawyers who had allegedly assaulted a couple of Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorist suspects. IM also alleged that the lawyers had refused to take cases involving other alleged terrorists, including suspected HuJI leader and Phulpur-based Islamic cleric Muhammad Waliullah, the alleged mastermind of the March 2006 Sankatmochan temple blasts in Varanasi.

In IM terror strikes, email messages have typically been sent out to the media prior to the attacks, describing IM viewpoints on issues such as the Babri mosque demolition, the Mumbai riots, the communal violence in Gujarat that followed the 2002 torching of a train carrying Hindus, and various atrocities against the Muslim community in Gujarat and beyond. IM cites these incidents as reasons for their Islamic jihad. IM’s email manifestos shed some light on its objectives. The group calls for spreading Islam in India and waging jihad against the “infidels” (non-Muslims, i.e. Hindus) and establishing “God’s government” according to Quranic tenets.

After prolonged investigations, Indian intelligence agencies have corroborated that members of IM are mainly drawn from proscribed outfits such as the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), the Pakistan-based LeT and the Bangladesh-based HuJI. IM’s email statements indicate their ties with SIMI when they put forward demands for the release of SIMI cadres under detention or serving jail terms. However, the newly emerged IM continues to deny any connection with Pakistan, Bangladesh, or any of their agencies (e.g. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI] and Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence [DGFI]). It also denies any links with terrorist groups such as LeT and HuJI.

The Indian Mujahideen has been trying to garner support from India's teeming Muslim population, often by raising indigenous issues in its manifestos. Since the Uttar Pradesh Court attacks, IM, as a home-grown jihadi outfit, has claimed responsibility for at least four major terror strikes in 2008 that targeted civilians. Each attack came with prior emails to media citing a list of anti-Muslim atrocities in the country. The group justifies the violence by tagging the terror campaign as the “rise of Jihad” and the “revenge of Gujarat.” [1]

The Indian Mujahideen’s Urban Mayhem

Massive IM terrorist attacks occurred throughout India in 2008, all apparently designed to inflict maximum civilian casualties:

• May 13, 2008: Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan State, suffered nine bomb blasts that killed over 60 and injured scores of people. The explosions occurred in busy market places, including Tripolia market, Manek Chowk and Johri Bazaar.

• July 25, 2008: IM struck again in India’s IT capital, Bengaluru (Bangalore, Karnataka State), with eight simultaneous low-intensity blasts, in which at least two people were killed and seven injured. The explosions occurred near the Madivala check point in Hosur Road, the Adugodi area, a place near the Mallya Hospital, and another site near the Rashtriya Military School.

• July 26, 2008: A series of over 16 synchronized bomb blasts hit Ahmadabad (Gujarat State), in which as many as 38 people were killed and more than 100 others injured. Most of the blasts occurred in crowded places like Hatkeshwar, Bapunagar, Narol, Ishanpur, Saraspur, Sarangpur, and L.G. General Hospital in Maninagar.

• September 13, 2008: The national capital, New Delhi, was hit by a series of five bomb blasts that killed nearly 30 people and injured over 100 others. The explosions took place in the crowded Karol Bagh area, the busy Barakhamba Road, the market place at Greater Kailash, and the Central Park in Cannaught Place area.

After widespread mayhem in these vital urban centers, the organization was subject to a stepped-up counterterrorist crackdown on its operatives and hideouts across the country. At least six senior IM leaders are reported to have fled to Pakistan or Bangladesh after the Delhi serial blasts. They were identified by Mumbai’s Crime Branch as Riyaz Bhatkal, Amir Reza, Iqbal Bhatkal, Muhammad Khalid, Shahzad Ahmed, and Ariz Khan.

After months of investigations it is widely believed by intelligence agencies in India that the IM was created by Pakistan’s ISI to operate beyond Kashmir. However, no conclusive evidence has been gathered to implicate the ISI in such an alliance. [2] The alleged Pakistani connection has not been supported by the large number of arrests of Indian operatives after the recent terrorist attacks.
Terror Tentacles

Though many details of IM’s organization remain unclear, some facets of the mystery were unraveled during the interrogations of arrested cadres, documented in the 1,809- page charge sheet filed by the Mumbai Crime Branch. 21 IM members have been charged for conspiracy, damaging a place of worship with intent to insult a particular religion, collecting arms for waging war, and waging war against the country. Most of the accused are from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and are well-qualified professionals (The Hindu, February 18). Among the 21 suspects is Muhammed Saif, who was involved in the September 13, 2008, New Delhi serial blasts and was later captured during the controversial October 19, 2008, Batla House raids, in which two suspects were killed.

Since his arrest, Muhammad Saif has provided details of the IM organization and its countrywide activities. According to his confession, the Indian Mujahedeen has four wings, each wing having a distinct responsibility for spreading terror in India with the LeT’s active assistance (Bangalore Mirror, February 18; Rediff.com, February 10):

(1) Shahabuddin Ghouri Brigade: Headed by Amir Raza; responsible for planning and executing attacks in southern India, headquartered in Kerala

(2) Muhammad Ghaznavi Brigade: Responsible for planning and executing terror strikes in northern India

(3) Shaheed-al-Zarqawi Brigade: Responsible for targeting political and other important personalities of the country as well as organizing suicide attacks

(4) Media Wing: Headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, the wing was responsible for email and print media communications/press release of manifestos before or after the blasts [3]

The arrest of IM cadres from different locations demonstrates the geographical spread of a terror network that now spans the length and breadth of India—possibly even extending into neighboring states.

Indian Mujahideen Who’s Who

After months of speculation on the leadership hierarchy of IM, investigating agencies finally sketched a relatively clear picture of who’s who in IM. Earlier, it had been speculated that the group’s leader was Abdul Subhan Qureshi (a.k.a. Taqueer), a former SIMI cadre and software engineer by profession. However, instead the credit of founding the first home-grown Indian jihadi outfit goes to Sadiq Israr Sheikh of Azamgarh. A former SIMI member and an electronics engineer by profession, Sheikh has been identified as the co-founder and leader of the IM. Sheikh is alleged to have contacts with LeT in Pakistan through his brother-in-law, Mujahid Salim (The Hindu, February 22). The anti-terrorism squad of the Maharashtra police has been interrogating Sheikh regarding his role in the group’s July 2006 serial train blasts in Mumbai. Sheikh has described how the group planted seven cookers filled with explosives on the train before getting off in advance of the blasts (Times of India, February 27). Sheikh’s confession also indicates IM’s hand in the March 2006 attack on the Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi.

Riyaz Bhatkal (a.k.a. Ismail Shahbandri), who has eluded police so far, is the commander of the southern region. Iqbal Bhatkal, Riyaz’s brother, has a senior position in the IM hierarchy, according to police sources. [4] Riyaz Bhatkal was previously involved in organized crime in Mumbai as part of the infamous Fazlu Rehman gang (Chennai Online, September 27, 2008). Interrogation of arrested IM members revealed that Bhatkal was a key LeT operative in south India who had planned the Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmadabad, and New Delhi serial blasts (Rediff.com, January 5). Abdul Subhan Qureshi, still on the run and formerly believed to be IM’s leader, has now been confirmed as the IM second-in-command. Despite previously being named as one of the country’s most wanted terrorist masterminds, Abdul Subhan’s name did not appear in the recently filed chargesheet (Indian Express, February 19).


The most surprising revelation has been the many IT professionals found to be involved in IM’s activities, including wealthy professionals Asghar Peerbhoy, Salman Kadar Shaikhand, and Asif Bashiruddin Shaikh, who have played pivotal roles in generating funds for the outfit and planning attacks. Peerbhoy, believed to have headed IM’s media wing, reportedly worked for Yahoo.com before being arrested by the Mumbai Anti-Terror Squad in October 2008 (Indian Express, February 5, 2009).

Notes:

1. See the full text of IM’s manifesto following the Ahmadabad blasts, signed by Al Arbi Guru al-Hindi; “The Rise of Jihad, Revenge of Gujarat,” Outlook India, July 29, 2008.

2. For a possible ISI linkage, see, B. Raman, “Another step in ISI-sponsored Indianization of jihad,” Rediff.com, July 27, 2008.

3. The e-mail communications and manifestos were sent through similar IDs and signed with a distinct pseudonym, “Guru al-Hindi.” See Praveen Swami, “Terror mail threatens to stop India’s heartbeat,” The Hindu, September 14, 2008.

4. For a detailed background of Riyaz Bhatkal and the influence of the Tabligh Jamaat on his thought, see “Politics of hate gave birth to top terror commander,” The Hindu, February 23.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Source : single - The Jamestown Foundation[tt_news]=34577&tx_ttnews[backPid]=7&cHash=7d49c63104
It is clear that this is a home grown terror network that receives aid and help from external elements.
 
.
The Hindu : States / Other States : ‘German Bakery blast accused was trained to assemble explosives in Colombo’


The alleged mastermind of the February 13 German Bakery attack, Himayat Baig, was trained to assemble explosives in Colombo by two of the co-accused in the case when they visited the Sri Lankan capital in March 2008, the Maharashtra ATS has contended in the chargesheet submitted to the Judicial Magistrate in Pune.

A copy of the 2500-page chargesheet, which was filed by the ATS in the court of Judicial Magistrate S. Bose on Saturday, was handed over to Baig who was produced in the court on Monday.

According to certain details of the document shared by Defence Counsel A. Rahman with the press, Baig is charged with designing the German Bakery terror attack along with Faiyaz Kagzi and Sayyad Ansari, two of the six co-accused named in the case, who are absconding.

Baig, who ran a cyber cafe in Udgir, later finalised the plan to attack the eatery in the last week of January 2010 and went to Mumbai along with two other accused — Mohasin Choudhary and Bhatkal — to purchase a sack to keep the bomb and a Nokia mobile, the prosecution has alleged as quoted by Mr. Rahman.

The bomb that was planted in the Pune eatery at 17:00 hours went off killing 17 persons including some foreigners and injuring over 60.

The six other co-accused charged along with Baig are — Yasim Bhatkal, Mohsin Choudhary, Riyaz Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Faiyaz Kagzi and Sayyad Ansari——— all stated to be absconding.

Mr. Rahman took instructions from Baig, who was brought to the court without a shroud.

ATS officer Vinod Satav told the Magistrate that names of some witnesses had been deleted from the chargesheet to protect their identity.

Baig is charged under various sections of IPC, Explosives Substances Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.

The Defence Counsel said he would contest the omission of witnesses’ names in higher court. The Counsel also said that Baig had denied all charges mentioned by the ATS.

The Magistrate committed the case to the Sessions Court where a special judge will hear it.

The massive chargesheet is kept in custody of the judge and its details were not made public.
 
.
If he was trained in Columbo, and after all these months no linking of Pakistan based group has come forward, does that finally disprove that Indian Mujahideen have anything to do with Pakistani groups?
 
.
If he was trained in Columbo, and after all these months no linking of Pakistan based group has come forward, does that finally disprove that Indian Mujahideen have anything to do with Pakistani groups?


Indian Mujahideen is a shadow outfit of the banned SIMI and Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba and is directly controlled by ISI.
 
.
If he was trained in Columbo, and after all these months no linking of Pakistan based group has come forward, does that finally disprove that Indian Mujahideen have anything to do with Pakistani groups?

Look I know its frustrating that almost every attack has some of its link back to Pakistani groups, supported or not by the ISI. I know if I were a Pakistani I would be right in thinking that not everything is Pakistan's fault. But it is a fact within intelligence circles that Pakistan is considered the most dangerous country as far terrorism emanating from its shores. However, having said that, I think we should understand that it's only portions of your military, ISI, and govt that have done the country great disservice_ starting a decade ago and that the Pakistan is now reaping the ill fruits of what they sowed.

If you are reasonable, well read and objective - you will find that India is not the only country hollering and hooting about terrorism from Pakistan. Question now remains- where do you go from here ?... My belief is that we as Indians must do everything in our power to normalize relationships and help Pakistan also taste the benefits of economic booms.

An economically viable Pakistan is in everybody's interest and I hope you as a citizen of Pakistan and others work hard towards moving away from anti Indian sentiments to equally be concerned about your countries future and see that its also in Pakistan future interest in normalizing relationships between the two countries.
 
.
when pakistan is resisting so much for indian entry into afganistan
why India is letting pak and china to roam freely in sri lanka, nepal ?
 
.
when pakistan is resisting so much for indian entry into afganistan
why India is letting pak and china to roam freely in sri lanka, nepal ?


I don't know why you get that doubt?

Sri Lanka and Nepal are sovereign nations,its their choice whom they let in.
 
. . .
Truth hurts! :lol:

It is always easy to write two phrases and than claiming them to be "truth".

As I said this thread was incomplete without those two phrases with Indians posting on the thread. :)
 
.
It is always easy to write two phrases and than claiming them to be "truth".

As I said this thread was incomplete without those two phrases with Indians posting on the thread. :)

Given a chance to ask every reputable intelligence agency in the world, they would agree. bury your head in the sand... or be well read about it.
 
.

Latest posts

Pakistan Defence Latest Posts

Pakistan Affairs Latest Posts

Back
Top Bottom