Indian Mujahideen has revealed Jama Masjid attack in Bihar

The interrogation of Mohammad Tariq Anjum Hasan, 34, founder member of Indian Mujahideen, has revealed that the Jama Masjid attack of September 19, 2010, in which two Taiwanese tourists were injured and a car explosion took place, was planned at his residence in Bihar.

Sources claimed that Yasin Bhatkal alias Shahrukh, believed to be the India chief of IM, was part of the planning. Tariq has provided fresh details of the Jama Masjid operation, although eight IM members who were part of the attack are already in custody.

Tariq, sources said, has provided names of at least 15 IM members settled in Bihar's Darbhanga district, Bhatkal in Karnataka and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. Police have procured non-bailable warrants against these 15 suspects.

Bomb assembled at Meer Vihar

Tariq Hasan has revealed names of several IM operatives residing in various parts of the country.

The attack, which had taken place just a few days before the Commonwealth Games, was planned at Tariq's house in Nalanda, sources said. Apart from Tariq and Shahrukh, Qateel Siddiqui (one of the attackers) and few other members were part of the meeting.

There the plan of firing at tourists and then keeping a bomb in a car was drawn up. The plan had taken shape at least two months prior to the attack, after which Shahrukh had contacted Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal in Pakistan and then they had sent a Lashkar operative Mohammad Adil to Delhi.

"After that, they came to Delhi and IM boss Shahrukh made bombs at the Meer Vihar factory. They recceed the Jama Masjid area for at least two days. We suspect Tariq had also come to Delhi at that time but did not go to Jama Masjid," said a police officer.

There were four men involved in Jama Masjid attack including Shahrukh himself, Mohammad Adil, Mohammad Qateel Siddiqui and Mohammad Irshad Khan. Qateel and Adil had gone to Jama Masjid on a stolen bike and fired on Taiwanese using a 9mm pistol. Officials said the attack was meant to avenge the Batla House encounter.

Police have taken Tariq to Pune and a few other places in south India as they believe that Tariq knows about the hideouts of Shahrukh. The team is also probing whether he was involved in the 13/7 blast as well.

Officials say they have got NBWs issued against 15 suspected IM members.

Tariq, sources add, raised funds through three ways - orchestrating robberies in various states, getting hawala money from Pakistan in his accounts and then routing it to different modules and third - taking religious donations or receiving money from gulf countries. Tariq was arrested two days ago from Nalanda.

Terror mastermind Yasin Bhatkal lived in Delhi

Terror mastermind Yasin Bhatkal also known as Shahrukh and Ahmad Siddi Bappa was living in Delhi for atleast the past six months even as security agencies were scouring the length and breadth of the country to trace him.

Shahrukh is believed to be the third in Indian Mujahideen’s hierarchy after brothers Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal. All of them belong to the town of Bhatkal in Karnataka.

Shahrukh emerged as IM’s top operative in the country after Riyaz and Iqbal escaped to Karachi According to the investigators, Shahrukh had taken over the running of IM in the country ever since Riyaz and Iqbal escaped to Karachi.

As per reports, Sharukh made frequent trips to Madhubani district in Bihar – bordering Nepal – to coordinate transit of money and explosives from across the porous border and also look for recruits.

He is also said to be the chief financer of various modules of Indian Mujahideen but he ensured that he never disclosed the identity of one module to another.

The arrests IM operatives are belived tio have told the police that Shahrukh was behind the attack in Jama Masjid. The attack was part of the new terror plan to target tourists to create panic.

As per a news paper report, the Delhi Police is now looking at the possibility of his involvement in the May 25 and September 7 Delhi High Court blasts. A reward of Rs 15 lakhs has also been announced for any information on Shahrukh.

Sources have told Zee News that ISI’s role in abetting terror activities in India has also been reasserted as per the details collected in the ongoing probe.

However, the six arrested terror operatives - Pakistani national Mohammad Adil, Mohammad Qateel Siddique, Mohammad Irshad Khan, Gauhar Aziz Khomani, Gayur Ahmad Jamali and Abdur Rehman – have, reportedly, told the cops that they don't know much about Yasin's hideouts and contacts. They, the source added, were also ignorant about Yasin's future plans. Four of them will be produced in a city court on Friday morning.

Delhi Police arrested six suspected terrorists, involved in blast

In a big breakthrough, the Delhi Police are reported to have arrested six suspected terrorists who were involved in various bomb blast and firing cases across the country.

Sources said the six belong to the banned Indian Mujahideen terror group. Two each of the six were arrested from Delhi, Chennai and Bihar.

Reports said the suspects were involved in the February 2010 German Bakery bomb blast in Pune, the firing incident outside Delhi’s Jama Masjid just before the Commonwealth Games in October last year, and the bomb blast outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in April last year.

Sources said the arrests were made in the past couple of days following investigations in Chennai.

According to sources, one Pakistani, Hamid Ansari was arrested from Bihar’s Madhubani where he claimed he had come to meet his jailed son who was under arrest for his involvement in fake currency racket.

Ansari told investigators that he had come to Bihar via Nepal.

Two other suspects were also arrested from Madhubani recently, sources said. Their names are Mohammad Ajmal and Mohammad Jamali.

The duo used to impersonate as street hawkers but were involved with terror groups.

The distance between Madhubani and Nepal border is 112 kilometres and the same has emerged as a terror hub and the biggest transit route for terrorists and contraband.

There are also reports that Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency, the ISI has been recruiting people from Bihar to carrying out terror activities in India.

So far, there has been no official confirmation of the arrests from the Delhi Police but is expected to be a big breakthrough in cracking several terror-related cases in the country.

Commenting on the arrests, Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta only said it is an ongoing operation. “We have got details... will give the details in the afternoon,” Gupta said.

Sources said the police are also close to nabbing five to six more people. Importantly, the Delhi Police have been in pursuit of IM mastermind Taqueer and it is during this hunt and the arrests of six operatives have been made.