Author: Times News Network
Publication: The Time of India
Date: February 11, 2008
Introduction: 6 Terrorists on Mumbai Mission
Held In UP, Confess To Attacks On IISc, CRPF Camp
In a dramatic breakthrough in investigations
into the terror attack on the CRPF camp in Rampur on January 1, the UP special
task force (STF) on Sunday arrested six alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists,
three of whom were bound for Mumbai on Sunday morning to carry out strikes
on key installations in India's financial capital.
Two of the arrested terrorists have also confessed
to having carried out attacks on the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore
in 2005.
A Pakistani national was among those held,
and the STF recovered 2 AK series rifles, hand grenades, a pistol and cartridges
from them. UP DGP Vikram Singh, briefing newsmen, said the STF acted on a
tip-off that two of the four LeT terrorists involved in the Rampur attack
were planning a fresh series of strikes-this time on the Bombay Stock Exchange,
Churchgate Station, and a temple in south Mumbai-and were hiding somewhere
in the Bareilly-Rampur area. It was also learnt that one Jung Bahadur, alias
Baba, of Milkamaru locality in Rampur was coordinating their movements.
The STF picked up Jung Bahadur on February
9. He revealed the whereabouts of two terrorists who were to meet him at Rampur
bus-stand. These two were picked up as well and they identified themselves
as Faheem and Mohammed Shareef on Saturday night. Interrogation revealed three
of their associates were to board a train from Lucknow to Mumbai on Sunday.
The three were rounded up from Lucknow's Charbagh station. They identified
themselves as Sabauddin Ahmad of Madhubani in Bihar, Amar Singh of Gujranwala
in Pakistan, and Abu Sama of Kashmir.
Of those arrested, Faheem is based in Mumbai
and was to play a key role in the attacks on the selected targets in the city.
Mumbai officials say he holds a Pakistani passport, apart from a "high
security'' citizen card issued. The passport gives his name as Hammad Hassan,
son of Bashir Hassan from Rawalpindi, which appears to be fake.
"The BSE was going to be their first
target. These terrorists have multiple targets. In case one fails, they move
to the next,'' said STF SSP Amitabh Yash. Cops said the group of terrorists
was in UP to collect weapons and associates. A team of Mumbai police's anti-terror
squad has left for Lucknow to coordinate with the agencies there. "We
are coordinating with UP police to find out whether the arrested terrorists
have been involved in terrorism-related activities in Mumbai in the past as
well,'' Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Khare said.
