Serial Blasts in Mumbai

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 16 Jul 2011 19:53

See the irony here. BRF tries to be un-necessarily sensitive, politically correct etc. etc. While India's mainstream narrative its extremely insensitive which is what we discuss here but the expectation is that we have to be sensitive. It took less than two days for Digvijay to do the expected.

Posts on July 13th

Muppalla wrote:It may be by Purohit types. We should first consult Digvijay Singh before getting to conclusions.

JE Menon wrote:Muppalla boss, no matter how bitter you or I might feel about political figures in India, this is not the time to raise the issue, and not in this thread. Please.

Post on July 15th

jagga wrote:Can’t rule out hand of Hindu outfits: DOGvijaya
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday said involvement of Hindu outfits could not be ruled out in Wednesday’s blasts in Mumbai.

There is a pattern in Digvijay Singh's utterances and the the path that India's investigative agencies are taking their paths.

(1) There are two kinds of Terror attacks - One like Parl and 26/11 types where the terror is direct and obvious by LeT/TSPA types. This is OK for the congress party as it is external and they can go any length to pin down Pakistan. However, this is NOT okay for MMS as this is a hindrance to his Pappi Jhappi sessions. Kuldip Nayyar syndrome.

(2) The attacks of 13/7 is not okay for Congress party. The Samjauta express, Malegaon blasts, Jama Masjid blasts, Delhi Diwali blasts are NOT okay for congress party as these are outsourced blasts conducted by local Muslims.

(3) In all the blasts that are done by local Mullah youth it is IM which is a decendent of SIMI. The folks in these organizations and INC's muslim cadre are same or transparent.

(4) Hence they unleash the already fallen guy or willing to be a fall guy. Digvijay Singh. This fellow starts his Hindu terror stuff which was first created by the INC's pet intel folks (most of them are bumped off anyway) from IB, CBI

(5) Inspite of zero proof, Purohit or Prahya are not even released on bail.

(6) Most important pattern: In cases where IM is involved, the investigations never gets completed and also no results will be declared or anyone will be even arrested for almost a month or two. When the pressure increases and people starts forgetting the blasts, suddenly a Asmanand or a Purohit will be arrested.

(7) Now the focus changes from IM to Hindu terror.

Even in this blast - there is no investigations preliminary results even after three days.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 16 Jul 2011 20:37

http://www.cbc.ca/asithappens/episode/2 ... 14th-2011/
Beginning of part 2 is Prof. Vivek Dahejia, who shuttles between Canada and Mumbai, on the blasts.

JwalaMukhi · Post by **JwalaMukhi** » 16 Jul 2011 21:49

rajanb wrote:^^ The moment we base any comment/argument on religious lines we are letting ourselves down.

It was in the interests of the British and now our politicians to divide our country on religious, community, caste etc. banks.

Religion is a personal issue.

Religion should become a personal issue. But it is not. How else does the constitution still mandate that some one becomes a minority by the virtue of religion one follows. But the same constitution does not mandate that people be classified as minorities based on their heights, say for example people who measure 6'10" and above should be minorities with all the privileges that goes under the classification of minority. That is the biggest wool pulled over the eyes, religion should be personal if not the right kind, else it is very public and will be milked to the full extent.

This the one of the biggest fraud on the Indian people and once they realize this, then people will not say "religion is a personal issue". Till then it will be secular speak of pretense.

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 16 Jul 2011 22:15

Religion is not a personal issue in India.

As far as the government is concernced, the census collects data about religious affiliation, and uses that data to base policies taking religious (and caste) affliation into account.

Most religious groups also excel at imposing themselves on public conciousness, be it the various publicly celebrated festivals or the calls to prayers issued through loudspeakers.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 16 Jul 2011 22:22

The Constitution makes reference to religious and linguistic minorities, and guarantees them protections of civil liberties. This is exactly how religion becomes a personal affair, because they are protected. It is counterintuitive, yes, but that is how what you say becomes a personal affair, because unpopular speech is protected.

sanjeevpunj · Post by **sanjeevpunj** » 16 Jul 2011 22:26

Demograhpically,and geopolitically, religion is a core issue on which governance depends. Hindus will listen to their JagadGurus and Sankaracharyas as much as Christians will listen to their Popes, and Muslims will listen to their Ulemas and Mullahs.So if the government enacts a law that the people of India should do "xyz" and if "xyz" does not go along with the teachings of religion B or C, then there will be dissonance instantly.In fact this is what is happening today. The choice to follow any particular religion is a personal choice, however,and it should not be messed around with,there should be no forced conversions and so on.Thats where the conflicts begin.

Kamboja · Post by **Kamboja** » 16 Jul 2011 22:28

brihaspati wrote:
harbans wrote:India and the world will at some level have to deal and address Literal Islam. Literal Islam is at odds with pluralist, secular setups. No pluralist and secular type setup can forever exist with literal Islam as the latter is meant to subsume the former. This thing about 'wiping out Muslims' is not applicable as wiping out Germans was not required to wipe out Nazism. At the doctrinal levels Islams conflict with pluralist, democratic and secular societies like India will always exist. Somewhere at the doctrinal level the conflict will have to be dealt with in an open and honest manner.
The fundamental basis of this faiths is literalism. It cannot go out of literalism and preserve itself. Christianity allowed this to happen and it is dying in many different ways.

Brihaspati, I believe that is exactly the point that harbans is making (and if he is not, I am). Once we convince Muslims that Islam is not meant to be interpreted literally, it signals the death blow of the religion, just as it has in much of Western Europe, especially in the Protestant countries. But would we not want for Islam what has already happened to Christianity in, say, England or Scandinavia?

Yet this is a goal that has to be striven for without ever being declared, because to openly declare that we aim to separate Muslims from their literal faith would be to force them into a defensive posture and therefore be self-defeating. We have to use the language of modernity, science, rationalism, and reason to detach Muslims from Literalism, without ever stating the true end goal. Let the desert religion die through moribundity rather than a frontal assault.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 16 Jul 2011 22:44

Muppalla wrote: Even in this blast - there is no investigations preliminary results even after three days.

Possible reasons:
1. Incompetent and/or inexperienced Intel and Security agencies; hence ineffective.
2. Competent Intel and Security personnel, but not enough resources; hence ineffective.
3. Competent Intel and Security, but will not/cannot release investigation results purely security reasons.
4. Competent Intel and Security, but will not/cannot release investigation results because of Political pressures.

If it is #2, #4 or combination of the two; then Politicians are to blame.

If it is #1, partial blame on Politicians and the agencies.

Let us hope it is #3, but then Politicians will have to face the displeasure of citizens. The citizens will conclude the agencies are ineffective and/or corrupt, they already have given up on the politicians. Probably this is their occupational hazard.

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 17 Jul 2011 00:09

SwamyG:

Its possibly a combination of all 4. But as I keep reminding people, India has more than enough evidence, much more than the BS evidence US trots out about its "terrorists", but India's pathetic inability to make its case is because of 3 reasons:

1) Lack of overwhelming military strength visa vi TSP to hit back and then make the evidence self evident. In the absence of that TSP mocks whatever fool proof evidence India produces. In other words, only when India makes TSP pay a price, the bar will shift and TSP cannot continue to deny. Absence that any evidence India produces is useless, even dosas at Udipi Bhavan are more worthwhile than the tons of dossiers India has produced showing TSP involvement. Bottom line: India is running scared of TSP due to its nukes, TSP says bring it on. TSP is on a winning strategy on this count.

2) Lack of national unity. Indian elites would sweep Indian Muslim involvement under the rug than confront the ugly truth. Ditto many other disaffected groups. Unlike in US where whites overwhelmingly unite when it comes to Islamic terrorists, in India there is overwhelming ambivalence to confront Muslim wrong doers, or for that matter wrongdoers of any group due to caste and other sub-grouping loyalty. Once again Indian elites are afraid that India will descend into a communal cauldron and TSP (and US/China) of course will take advantage.

3) Corruption and moral depravity. I mean I need not talk about DogSingh's and MMS's and Rahul baba harping on "Hindu terrorism" when India is under assault by Islamist-led TSP. How much more morally degenerate can it get? And then of course, you and I both know that a simple green card or few green backs that CIA can dole out, and any of India's plans to hit USA's munna TSP will be leaked by someone in India and published in the NYT through US govt mouthpiece reporters.

What we are witnessing as an Imperial conspiracy to keep India TSP or subcontinent Hindus and Muslims equal equal, and India's Hindu population does not have the requisite unity to fight this conspiracy.

negi · Post by **negi** » 17 Jul 2011 00:23

3. Competent Intel and Security, but will not/cannot release investigation results purely security reasons.

This is a pretty lame excuse; in fact in today's world this won't even fly for one would observe that it's common sense to empower the common man at large when it comes to 'internal security' the centralised structure to collate and disemninate information is outdated and simply ineffective to tackle this menace. Obviously the 'kaoboys' who like to shoot from the hip and have nothing to show for results would like to hide behind the guise of OSA or some archiac and non-sensical gobermund directive.

Also 'competence' is a big thing our deficiency is more fundamental i.e. our system is it does not adhere to the very rules it lays for a given area be it security or even civic development; somehow exceptions are made to every rule out there on the basis of frivilous basis be it religion or even antecendents of a particular individual because at the end of the day 'sab chalta hai'. Constitution of India itself is a big 'chalta hai' farce for GoI itself does not uphold it in day to day practice, SC is comprised of old foggies who have seen it all in life they pass a sermon or two with no power to ensure/enforce their judgement and the less be said about the IPS the better.

CRamS · Post by **CRamS** » 17 Jul 2011 00:53

Mort, you are right, this article from Uneven belongs on the Us-India strategic relations thread. Moving it there.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 17 Jul 2011 01:28

He admits he go wrong all these years. However still has the hamartia to advocate dragging India to solve their mess.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 17 Jul 2011 01:30

I guess he still has the extended service contract intact with M.Lodhi.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 17 Jul 2011 04:27

shiv on July 15th wrote: Nothing and nobody can be ruled out. Digvijay Singh would be as high on my list of people complicit in this terror act as the nebulous Indian Mujahideen. The question is if anyone has the guts to ask why Digvijay Singh talks the way he does. Or would anyone who asks about this be theratened and victimized?

Okay, I am convinced powerful, influential and important people read BRF.

Now: 'Diggy should be questioned over terror attack'

Miffed over Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh's statement that Hindu organizations should be interrogated over the recent Mumbai terrorist attack, former BJP president Rajnath Singh said in that Digvijay too should face the intelligence agencies.

"One of the terror links led to Sanjarpur in Azamgarh district. Digvijay had been there recently.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 17 Jul 2011 05:12

Muppalla,

Re Digvijay - you were right, and I was wrong. Apologies, but I never imagined that your assessment stood a chance in hell of being proven right, and that this thing would actually come out and say something like that. The lunatic is unworthy of being regarded as human.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 17 Jul 2011 05:19

CRamS,

Please remove your post and put it in the correct thread. It belongs in the India-US Strategic News and Discussion thread, and has no place here.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 17 Jul 2011 05:24

Uneven Cohen is tired, old and irrelevant. And what he now says were US mistakes was exactly the garbage he was peddling for decades. His importance is declining rapidly in a field becoming highly populated with South Asia experts, counter-terrorism experts (or Pakistan experts), Afghanistan experts, India experts and various combinations of the above. He is still playing the "equal-equal" game, and he seems unable to give up the fossilised idea of India/Pakistan/Afghanistan that he has in his mind, and people know it no doubt. That probably explains this, seemingly reluctant, attempt to take a different line. But it's not going to make much of a difference. When was the last time any of us bothered to watch him on a panel; come to think of it when was the last time he was on one? His time is over, and he should retire gracefully and maintain a silence which will be beneficial to all around. Sad guy.

BTW, he's written a couple of useful books with good references. He will get a gold star to put on his scribbling notebook from me for that.

AdityaM · Post by **AdityaM** » 17 Jul 2011 05:33

What are the bystanders doing by not coming forward & helping rather than looking

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 17 Jul 2011 05:45

JE Menon wrote:Muppalla,

Re Digvijay - you were right, and I was wrong. Apologies, but I never imagined that your assessment stood a chance in hell of being proven right, and that this thing would actually come out and say something like that. The lunatic is unworthy of being regarded as human.

No apologies needed. It is not about you, me or someone else. While we try to be sensitive and respectful the mainstream media and the ones that are supposed to be sensitive are brutally cruel. I don't know if you have noticed, while talking to Maha CM, Bharka asks about NCP in home ministry stuff. That is the sensitivity maintained by the MSM.

While the people of India are dying, the media, government and the political parties are just looking things as though it is all a ritual and routine and they have to do one more time.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 17 Jul 2011 05:48

AdityaM,

The byestanders may be shit scared as they may be thinking that there many be some more unexploded portions of the bombs.

sanjeevpunj · Post by **sanjeevpunj** » 17 Jul 2011 07:09

IMO any statements similar to the ones made to the press without proof, by that insanely frothing and seething Congress spokesman Digvijay Singh, should be made punishable under law.The people are trying to come to grips with life after the disaster,and instead of showing sympathy for their plight and assuaging their fears,he goes on ranting about who did it, without any proof coming forth from the Investigation teams to support his statements.Until concrete evidence acceptable in court is available, no such statements should be made by any spokesman of any party.There should be a law against this.

I was surprised to read that after 26/11 attacks, the Central Govt lost interest in follow up, and here is a result.

Former bureaucrat Ram Pradhan, who headed the two-member committee that conducted an inquiry into the 26/11 terror attacks, has called for effective rectification of system failure, creation of ground-level intelligence network, better working conditions and equipment for the police force to enable the government to effectively tackle terror attacks.
Pradhan, in an interview to Marathi TV channel IBN-Lokmat, said the government had not bothered to contact him for two years after he had submitted the report on 26/11. He, however, said he had a good rapport with Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and would be available for consultation for the state government.
Commenting on intelligence failure, Pradhan said, “We need to develop ground-level intelligence network, not the intelligence that we get from agencies like IB or RAW. We have to develop a pedestrian network, which was our strength in the past when the beat cop knew his area and the people living there.” He said the whole governmental machinery usually swung into action after an incident, but the need was to rectify system failure detected in the past and take action against those responsible.

What can the mango man expect after this 13/7 event? Another two member team will make a report, submit it to the Centre,and it will be pushed under a wad of dog-eared files.All its suggestions will be ignored and then we wait for the next event to happen?

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 17 Jul 2011 07:54

Mumbai blasts: Cops unmask suspected Opera House bomber

Police have zeroed in on a suspect at the site of the Opera House bombing after scanning the CCTV images they have retrieved from the 13/7 site. Investigators said the movements of one particular man, who locals and office-goers at the diamond-trading hub did not recognize, appear suspicious and they have prepared a sketch of him. The sketch has been sent to security agencies across the country, but won't be released to the public so that investigations are not hampered.

Eleven people died in the Opera House blast in Wednesday's triple bombing. Another eight died at Zaveri Bazar.

Investigators said the Opera House suspect is seen roaming the area for around two to three hours before the blast. "With the help of eyewitnesses and locals we are trying to identify individuals in the images. One such person has not been identified by the locals. We have prepared a sketch of this man. We have good leads with us," said Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Rakesh Maria.

The police are also focusing on 15 faces seen in CCTV images taken from the Zaveri Bazar blast site as locals, shopkeepers there could not recognize them.

Maharashtra ATS teams also fanned out to places like Gujarat, Bengal and Bhatkal in Karnataka to follow up clues.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat police believe they may have previously overlooked clues to the Mumbai blasts in emails sent by an arrested Indian Mujahideen (IM) member. The emails of Danish Riyaz, 29, who was arrested nearly 20 days before the Mumbai blasts, appear innocuous, but may have hidden information that could provide leads, said investigators. Danish was held for the July 26, 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts.

The Ahmedabad crime branch is looking for leads in four emails sent by Danish to IM top brass, including Abdus Subhan alias Tauqeer, Manzhar Chaudhary, Abu Faisal and Mujeeb Sheikh. TOI reported on Saturday that Faisal and Sheikh were caught by the ATS recently and were a focal point of the investigation. Investigators believe that Mujeeb may know the identity of the five to six bombers. The Gujarat police have also found the name of Haroon, who is from Kolkata and a suspect in the Mumbai blasts, in Danish's mailing list.

When Danish was first probed, the emails didn't make sense, but now the Ahmedabad crime branch is taking help from central agencies to read the fine print. The police suspect he knows the whereabouts of Tauqeer and Chaudhary. Tauqeer, who allegedly masterminded the Ahmedabad blasts, is said to be at the UP-Nepal border. The Gujarat police suspect that youths from Azamgarh, UP, were also used in the 13/7 blasts and have sent a team there. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) interrogated Danish two days ago and is sure that Faisal and Sheikh know about the Mumbai attacks. Faisal practises alternate medicine in Indore, MP, and is Danish's senior in the IM. Sheikh belongs to Juhapura, Ahmedabad.

Interestingly, 35 detonators and explosive substances, including ammonium nitrate, went missing from the Silvassa police's custody in Gujarat in May-June. The equipment had been seized from suspects.

Maharashtra ATS teams have left for various locations, like Gujarat, West Bengal, Bhopal, Pune, Sarai Mir in Uttar Pradesh, Bhatkal in Karnataka, Delhi and so on. "The NIA and other central agencies are also assisting the probe," said Maria at a press briefing on Saturday.

Maria has sought details of two associates of Abdullah, a Kolkata resident, from West Bengal Special Task Force chief, Rajib Kumar. The two, like Abdullah, are missing. Maria was tightlipped when asked whether there was local support or if the Mumbai underworld played a role in the blasts.

"All three bombs were of high intensity," he said. He said three digital timed devices were used in the bombs. "We still don't know whether a cellular phone was used to trigger the bombs. A forensic report is awaited," he added. "We are ruling out the possibility of a suicide bomber."

On the explosives used, he said, "The strong presence of ammonium nitrate has been found but we are trying to find out the other ingredients." Sources said that TNT, which has been used in blasts in India, could have been used along with ammonium nitrate. Sources said that if TNT was mixed with ammonium nitrate, it would suggest good skills in bomb making. It is learnt that several police teams are being helped by "neutralized" IM and Simi members. They are helping police visit suspects across the country. It is learnt that at least 10 neutralized IM or Simi members are assisting the police.

A joint Mumbai ATS and crime branch team returned empty handed from Indore on Saturday morning. The team had questioned eight suspected Simi members. "Five of them are still in jail while three have been granted bail," said an ATS source.

At least six teams are scanning the CCTV footage. "It's a voluminous and tedious process," said Maria. An ATS officer said, "We are working on all unidentified people. Each CCTV frame has more than six to seven people at a time and we have to check the whole day's CCTV images."

"The forensic experts have collected debris that contain metal, which we suspect was part of containers used to store and transport the bombs.... However, it's too early to say whether they were tiffin boxes," Maria said. The forensic experts said the metal pieces found at the three sites are similar, but tiny. Forensic experts are yet to conclude whether the metal is steel or aluminum. The Zaveri Bazar blast took place outside a scrap shop, which already had a lot of metal pieces.

"Several motorcycles and scooters were recovered from the spots and the owners are being called and verified. Investigators are still working on one scooter which has not been claimed," said Maria.

Phone interceptions are on and over a hundred new phones are under surveillance. The police are also examining two calls made after the blasts from Jalna and Aurangabad districts to the police control room. Forensic experts and investigators will be recreating the blast scenes to verify the intensity of the blasts.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 17 Jul 2011 07:58

Terror chatter intercepted after Mumbai blasts?

Delhi Police reportedly intercepted a call immediately after the Mumbai blasts on Wednesday. The call was made from Mumbai to someone in the NCR. The caller reportedly asked the person at the other end if "the work had been done" and whether 'Sharif' had been informed. On receiving an 'yes', the caller immediately hung up.

The call was made soon after the blast, police said.

The police suspect that 'Sharif' is actually Mohammad Arif alias Junaid, one of the main accused in the Delhi blasts who was suspected to have fired at inspector Mohan Chand Sharma during the Batla House encounter, and had managed to escape.

"The call lasted for about a minute. The information has been passed on to the Mumbai anti-terrorist squad and we will extend any assistance necessary. Arif belongs to the banned Indian Mujahideen and may have had some role to play in the Mumbai blasts. He is in his mid-twenties and belongs to Ajazmgarh in UP," explained a senior police source.

"We have been intermittently getting reports of Arif hiding in UP, Bihar and West Bengal and he is constantly moving" said a police officer.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 17 Jul 2011 08:07

From The Hindu

He confirmed that the police control room had received calls from Buldhana and Aurangabad in Maharashtra after one blast, saying another blast would take place. “We went into the call but did not find anything.”

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 17 Jul 2011 08:14

Mumbai ATS in Ahmedabad

To grill Ranchi-based IM operative Danish Riaz, held in connection with the Ahmedabad serial blasts
The Mumbai bomb blasts may have some links with Gujarat. The officials of the Mumbai Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) have landed here to question Danish Riaz, an Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative, who was arrested last month in connection with the earlier serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad.

Danish Riaz alias Safi, a key accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blast case, was arrested from Vadodara railway station last month. A resident of Bariatu in Ranchi, Jharkhand, Riaz was working with a software company and is believed to be an active member of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and IM.

Alleged confession

Police sources alleged Riaz confessed that he provided shelter to Abdul Subhan alias Tauqir, who was also a suspect in the Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts and the recent Mumbai blasts, as well as some other IM operatives, including Mujib Sheikh and Mohammad Ismail alias Abdul Rajjak, apart from financially helping them.

Riaz, who was on police remand in connection with the Khadia bomb blast and was on Saturday re-arrested in connection with the civil hospital blast case, was believed to be involved in planning and executing the serial blasts in Ahmedabad.

The police sources said Riaz was in touch with the terror masterminds such as Tauqir and maintained links with his peers through the Internet chat. He used to avoid mobile phones to keep his locations secret, the sources said. The Gujarat ATS is also believed to have some important information, which it shared with its Mumbai counterpart, on two other IM operatives, Mujib Sheikh and Abu Faisal, who were arrested by the Madhya Pradesh ATS recently and were believed to have played key roles in the Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts. The police believe the duo also played a key role in the Mumbai blasts.

The Mumbai ATS officials are also believed to have enquired with the Ahmedabad Regional Transport Office the registration details of the scooter found at the Zaveri Bazaar blast site having an Ahmedabad registration number. Though the police said nothing suspicious was found about the scooter, owned by an Ahmedabad resident who recently moved to Mumbai but was still holding the Gujarat number plate, the Mumbai police was not leaving anything to chance.

Modi ups ante

Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi again upped his ante against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government strongly criticising it for its “soft attitude” to terrorism. Speaking at a function at the Sardar Patel University in Vallabh Vidyanagar in Anand district, Mr. Modi said: “Had Sardar Patel still been alive, scores of innocent people would not have lost their lives and the terrorists who are enjoying themselves in jail, would have been hanged by now.”

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 17 Jul 2011 08:28

IM still trying to raise suicide squad

Security officials were concerned when a charred body with some wires sticking to it was recovered from Zaveri Bazar, one of the sites of the blasts in Mumbai on Wednesday. But preliminary enquiries suggest the body was of a labourer who bore the brunt of the blast, and not of a human bomb. What forced the security establishment to have a hard look at the matter was that the Indian Mujahideen (IM) leadership, now reportedly sheltered in Pakistan, have long nursed the idea of carrying out suicide bombings in India.

According to intelligence sources, the IM was planning to form a fidayeen squad, named Shaheed al Zarqawi Brigade after an al Qaeda leader who was killed in Iraq.

But the IM had to shelve the plan with its Azamgarh unit leader, Atif Amin, who was handling the project, getting killed in the Batla House encounter in Delhi on September 19, 2008.

Two years later, an IM operative told investigators that the leader of the outfit, Riyaz Bhatkal, wanted to send a fidayeen attacker from Pakistan to India via Nepal.

According to the sources, Ameen had motivated at least two boys to become fidayeen. Investigators are looking for one of them, Mirza Shadab Beg, but he is still on the run.

The Indian agencies arrested Salman, alias Chotu, who was part of the Azamgarh module. Salman crossed over to Nepal with a few other IM operatives when the news of the Batla House encounter reached him in Lucknow.

The sources said the IM team managed to get forged Nepali passports before taking a flight to Sharjah, where they contacted top IM leader Amir Raza Khan in Karachi.

Khan later came – bringing along another top IM leader, Iqbal Bhatkal – and discussed the plan to launch suicide attacks on tourist places and high-profile targets.

Salman told his interrogators that he had visited Karachi in December 2009 and met Riyaz Bhatkal, the younger brother of Iqbal and head of the southern module of IM.

BSR Murthy · Post by **BSR Murthy** » 17 Jul 2011 08:58

Mumbai blasts: Cops unmask suspected Opera House bomber
There seems to be some progress.
Sorry, I thought I linked the URL properly.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 17 Jul 2011 09:08

^^ Hmmmm , the page disappeared

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 17 Jul 2011 09:10

^ Incorrect URL

sanjeevpunj · Post by **sanjeevpunj** » 17 Jul 2011 09:15

Correct link here http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 252241.cms

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 17 Jul 2011 09:54

Mumbai blasts suspect may be in Bangladesh

Abdullah Khan alias Nata, one of the prime suspects in the Mumbai serial blasts is probably operating from Bangladesh, believe investigators who have been tracking his movement for past few months.

Intelligence officers believe Khurram Khaiyam, who also goes by the names of Abdullah and Nata, is now operating the IM module which is assigned to maintain liaison with Bangladesh-based Harkat Ul Jihad Al Islami (HuJI) and, in a joint venture, has recruited a few new cadres for their outfit. Abdullah is a resident of Beniapukur's 29 B Mafidul Islam Lane.

Investigators said even six months ago, he was stationed in Nepal and used to shuttle between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Police also have reasons to believe he has close links with the 'D' company, which has a prominent presence in Nepal.

But in the past few months, following some 'special operations' by Indian Intelligence agencies, he shifted base to Bangladesh and the place is close to the Indian border. Due to Abdullah's close links with HuJI, police also suspect HuJI activists might have executed the Mumbai blasts.

Investigators, however, not sure about the whereabouts of two suspected activists believed to have been recruited by Abdullah, who got charge of the module after arrest of Sadaquat.

On Saturday, this TOI correspondent found his brother Khurram Sakil with his family at the third floor flat of Abdullah's ancestral home in Beniapukur. "Since the 2002 USIS attack (in Kolkata), we have never seen him," said Sakil, who is now running his father's small building materials supply business. Police claim Abdullah called his family six months ago after his father's death, but the family denied it. But they were aware that their eldest son had turned into a most-wanted jihadi.

Khadim suspect sent to city: Nure Alam, one of the accused in Khadim boss abduction case, was handed over to the CID by Mumbai Police on Saturday. Alam had been arrested by the ATS (Anti Terrorism Squad), Mumbai, for being involved in a blast which in Maharashtra a month back.

He was also accused in the abduction of Khadim boss Partha Roy Burman, who went missing on July 25, 2001. Alam was brought to Kolkata under tight security arrangements, guarded by the ATS personnel. He will be produced in the court on Monday.

sanjeevpunj · Post by **sanjeevpunj** » 17 Jul 2011 09:56

Maharatra's CM speaks up.
NEW DELHI: Neither the investigative agencies nor the Government is willing to name likely suspects behind the July 13 “coordinated blasts” in Mumbai. But Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has hinted to Express that “local terror modules” funded from “across the border” could behind the blasts.
Asked why the Government and probe agencies were desisting from making public such indications of “cross-border involvement”, Chavan said “it was not for him to do the talking.” He also tried to deny that it could be a conscious decision not to queer the pitch before the upcoming Indo-Pak foreign minister-level talks.
According to sources, there are about 20 terror modules operating in and around Mumbai, but “the floating nature of the operations” makes it difficult for investigative agencies to crack down on them.
“The way they operate has changed. They come and go quietly—leaving no trace on the Internet, voicemail or phones. They come from nowhere and seem to disappear without leaving any footprint,” explained Chavan.
However, sources said investigating agencies are groping in the dark, as the Government has not invested in the technological upgradation required to pinpoint the activities of sleeping terror modules that still use e-mail and voice mail.
Besides, while the rest of the world has put curbs on the sale and purchase of dual use chemicals, which can be used to make bombs, here they’re freely available.
Interestingly, Chavan’s comments were at variance with Congress’ freethinker Digvijay Singh, who claimed that the “involvement of right-wing Hindu organisations cannot be ruled out.”
Source:http://expressbuzz.com/nation/cross-bor ... 94897.html

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Jul 2011 10:01

the BD Govt/military has been helping india last few yrs in rounding up or chasing out the Paki dregs and local scoundrels operating from there. there is some hope that if any fresh cells have been setup in BD, they will now be cleaned up with indian inputs.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 17 Jul 2011 10:14

NDTV reports

Mumbai blasts probe: Man dies after questioning

His brother is currently in jail for another set of bomb blasts

ManishH · Post by **ManishH** » 17 Jul 2011 10:27

Article on the Mumbai Bomb construction shows that most of the components were industrial material easily available in the market. Bomb construction shows an elaborate attempt at deniability of an external hand.

Hyderabad, July 16: The bombs used in Wednesday’s Mumbai blasts were made with ammonium nitrate and auto fuels like two-stroke oil and furnace oil, with battery-driven ladies’ wristwatches employed as timers, forensic experts said today.

Nuts, bolts, nails and glass shards were used as shrapnel, added the Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratories scientists who have examined samples from the three Mumbai sites.

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) official said the use of ammonium nitrate suggested that Indian terror groups had run out of RDX, which hasn’t been used in any blast after 2008.

On the polythene-wrapped wristwatch timers, he said: “Had the rain been heavy, the watches would not have worked and all the lives would have been saved. But there was only a light drizzle.”

He said 2T (two-stroke) oil, used in some cars, two-wheelers and autorickshaws, and furnace oil, a petro product similar to diesel, were used to increase the impact of the blast.

The use of printed circuit boards — plastic or fibreglass boards embossed with diagrams, seen in computers and TV sets — reminded investigators of the 2008 Ahmedabad and Surat blasts that have been blamed on the Indian Mujahideen, he said.

“The timers completed the bomb circuit to trigger the electrical detonators, which ignited the furnace oil causing the ammonium nitrate to explode,” a forensic expert said.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 17 Jul 2011 11:37

The tiny metal shards show the effect of high explosive.

The electrical detonators don't ignite furnace oil besides NH4NO3 needs a booster charge. Lighting it wont explode it.

“The timers completed the bomb circuit to trigger the electrical detonators, which ignited the furnace oil causing the ammonium nitrate to explode,” a forensic expert said.

sumishi · Post by **sumishi** » 17 Jul 2011 11:55

Chandragupta wrote:
sumishi wrote: It was not the "want" of a considerable number of muslims -- it was the result of machinations of Jinnah with the British supporting the creation of Pakistan from a strategic perspective (Read "The Untold Story of Partition" by Narendra Singh Sarila) in the Great Game against the USSR.
Later, US played the same game by setting up the Islamic jihadis in Afghanistan against the USSR
I am least concerned about games & great games. Jinnah or the British did not hold Indian Muslims by the scruff of their necks & told them to vote for Muslim League in 1946. They did not physically guide Indian Muslims to massacre their Hindu & Sikh neighbours on Direct Action Day, Calcutta. They also did not tell Indian Muslims to wipe out the poor Hindus & Sikhs who were unfortunate enough to be left behind in the Land of the Pure. So what great game boss?

By your analogy, then, using/modifying your words:

...There would be no ~~Pakistan~~ UPA if a considerable portion of Indians did not want ~~a separate state~~ it in power. This considerable number of Indians would not have wanted ~~a separate state~~ UPA in power if they were not ~~Muslims~~ totally invested in corruption....

Thus, all of us, like the netas, are downright corrupt.
Sigh...

If only things were so clear in black and white.
Nitpicking onlee. Take it FWIW.

Dipanker · Post by **Dipanker** » 17 Jul 2011 12:09

^^^Yes. The electrical detonator actually triggers blast in the primary charge ( NG or TNT based etc.) which in turn trigger blast in ANFO.

The electrical detonator carries a tiny amount of PETN which is very potent explosive.

ManishH · Post by **ManishH** » 17 Jul 2011 13:34

Constable who ignored blast tip suspended

KALYAN: A constable who allegedly ignored a tip-off by a Kurla resident about a terror plot has been suspended.

After the Wednesday blasts, Abdullah Latif Rauf Shaikh went to the Mahatma Phule police station to inform policemen that he had overheard four men on Monday discussing plans to plant bombs in Mumbai at the Kalyan guest house hotel, opposite the railway station.

However, constable Prabhakar Bagrao ignored him.

Deputy police commissioner Hirasingh Jadhav confirmed Bagrao's suspension, but refused to elaborate further.

A couple of points on this:

1. After 7/11, UK police had successfully courted muslim community and the active intelligence provided by muslims had resulted in thwarting several attacks. For tactical reasons, ideological castigation has to take a backseat here.

2. Why would the name of an informer be leaked ? That implies either the police is stupid to leak the name of an informer that'll endanger the informer and/or stop this source of information.

3. What kind of stupid terrorists discuss their plans in public earshot ?

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 17 Jul 2011 13:38

It is likely that the person who gave the tip either chose to reveal it, or that it is a false name. Without his/her voluntary disclosure, this report is unlikely to have materialised.