Author: Zeenews Bureau
Publication: Zeenews.com
Date: December 26, 2008
URL: http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-12-26/493996news.html
In a major success in unwinding the terror
network in the country, a top militant linked with the Indian Mujahideen was
nabbed by the Kerala Police team in the national capital on Friday.
The arrested militant, who was identified
as Hamid, is also believed to be one of the main masterminds of the 1998 Coimbatore
bomb blasts and was on the most wanted list of Kerala Police since long.
Hamid is said to be the south zone commander
of Indian Mujahideen and is believed to be an expert in making explosive devices
and timer bombs.
The intelligence inputs gathered about him
also suggests that he is connection with dreaded militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Hamid has been taken for interrogation by
the Kerala Police.
According to reports, the intelligence officials
will also try to establish his role in the recent bomb blasts in several cities.
He is expected to reveal crucial information
regarding Indian Mujahideen's future activities and its main operatives in
various cities.
The arrest is being hailed as a big achievement
of the country's intelligence agencies since Hamid was on the run for several
years.
The Kerala Police team picked up Hamid from
Yamuna Vihar locality in New Delhi following a tip off from the intelligence
agencies about his possible hideout.
The Kerala Police laid a trap to nab him,
after it was confirmed that Hamid was living in disguise for several years
in the area.
At least 33 people -- including eight women
and one child -were killed and 153 others were injured in a series of 12 bomb
blasts that took place in Coimbatore on Feb 14 in 1998.
The blast occurred shortly before Bharatiya
Janata Party president L K Advani arrived for a campaign meeting.