Author: Manu Aiyappa
Publication: The Times of India
Date: February 2, 2008
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Terror_camps_Pak_flags_in_Karnataka_jungles/articleshow/2749729.cms
Terrorist training camps may be closer to
home than the distant mountains in Pakistan.
This chilling evidence came to light during
the interrogation of three Islamist radicals arrested recently - Riyazuddin
Nasir alias Mohammed Ghouse, Asadullah Abu Bakar and Mohammed Asif.
The investigators have unearthed a thick forest
area bordering Dharwad and Uttara Kannada districts of Karnataka, which was
used to train terrorists in the use of firearms. The three youths arrested
by anti-terror police in Hubli and Davanagere a fortnight ago allegedly received
weapons training in these woods which are surrounded by religious shrines.
Sources said this could well be the first
time that a terrorist camp used by self-proclaimed Islamist fundamentalists
has been detected in southern India, where a spate of terror attacks in the
last few years, such as the ones in Hyderabad's Mecca mosque and the Indian
Institute of Science in Bangalore, have sensitized police to Islamist terrorism.
It exposes a serious chink in the country's intelligence armour but also opens
the door to getting answers on why and how Bangalore engineer Kafeel Ahmed
transformed into the Glasgow bomber and his brother, Dr Sabeel Ahmed, joined
in the UK terror plot.
Investigations led by DSP S V D'Souza revealed
that the radicals were taking camping trips to the woods for "initial
training as terrorists". During a raid, the officials noticed Pakistani
flags flying and had them removed.
The details of the camp have been passed on
to Central intelligence agencies. "The existence of the camp and the
fact that the likes of prime suspect Mohammed Ghouse allegedly worked for
a terror organization in Pakistan through intermediaries is of vital importance
for intelligence agencies," an investigating official said.
Not only does it prove that the terrorist
network is wider in southern India than imagined, it also establishes links
between various terror attacks across the country, including the sensational
strikes at IISc in Bangalore, Ajmer and Mecca Masjid of Hyderabad.
Given the sensitivity of the matter, the police
are keeping investigation details a secret. Sources said that investigators
have spent the last few days trying to establish who was running the camp
and who were the men being trained. They are also trying to establish the
operation for which these people were being trained.
A local police officer said the three accused
revealed that they had established base in Kalghatgi and were preparing for
a jihadi strike. Ghouse and his accomplice Abu Bakar frequently visited Kalghatgi
along with Asif, a MBBS student. Here they met about 20 young radicals who
were being taught the use of small arms and double barrel guns.
