One of India's most wanted terrorist and the head of the Indian Mujahideen, Yasin Bhatkal has been arrested near the border with Nepal, say news reports.
Bhatkal, was caught near north Bihar, reportedly after a tip-off from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with another Indian Mujahideen (IM) member Asadullah Akhtar.
Though the Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters that ‘Yasin Bhatkal was traced to the India-Nepal border by our intelligence agencies last night.’ In whichever way Yasin has been captured, it is no doubt a 2nd major breakthrough for the India Law Enforcers after the arrest of Lashkar-e-Taiba bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda 10 days ago.
Bhatkal is a prime suspect in many terror attacks,
This is not the 1st time Yasin Bhatkal is in police custody - he Bhatkal was arrested in Kolkata in 2009 but let off after being mis-identified as Bulla Mallik, a resident of Kolkata (or as Mohammed Ashraf of Darbhanga, Bihar, as per other news tories). He jumped bail and vanished.
Bhatkal may also be the reason actor Shah Rukh Khan is being routinely detained at the US Airports, when he flies there. Authorities say that Bhatkal’s real name is Muhammad Ahmad Zarar Siddibappa, but he uses a number of aliases including ‘Shahrukh’.
The chief of the United States National Security Agency (NSA), Director Keith Alexander had earlier stated in a public hearing that more than 50 terrorist attacks in over 20 countries were prevented by data collected through phone records or 'business records' including emails by the PRISM programme. Now if the Yasin Bhatkal arrest was a FBI tip-off, will the NSA claim it as their own?
Whoever did the targeting, the actual capture, reads like a fantastic piece of co-ordination between various intelligence agencies, spearheaded by the NIA with the Bihar Police. Does this prove the point for a more enhanced NIA as the Union Government wants?
A screen grab of the ‘Wanted’ posting on Yasin Bhatkal at NIA website.
Bhatkal, was caught near north Bihar, reportedly after a tip-off from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with another Indian Mujahideen (IM) member Asadullah Akhtar.
Though the Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde told reporters that ‘Yasin Bhatkal was traced to the India-Nepal border by our intelligence agencies last night.’ In whichever way Yasin has been captured, it is no doubt a 2nd major breakthrough for the India Law Enforcers after the arrest of Lashkar-e-Taiba bomb expert Abdul Karim Tunda 10 days ago.
Bhatkal is a prime suspect in many terror attacks,
- including the twin blasts in Hyderabad in February 2013,
- the blast outside Delhi High Court in September 2011, and,
- Pune's German Bakery blast case in February 2010.
This is not the 1st time Yasin Bhatkal is in police custody - he Bhatkal was arrested in Kolkata in 2009 but let off after being mis-identified as Bulla Mallik, a resident of Kolkata (or as Mohammed Ashraf of Darbhanga, Bihar, as per other news tories). He jumped bail and vanished.
Bhatkal may also be the reason actor Shah Rukh Khan is being routinely detained at the US Airports, when he flies there. Authorities say that Bhatkal’s real name is Muhammad Ahmad Zarar Siddibappa, but he uses a number of aliases including ‘Shahrukh’.
The chief of the United States National Security Agency (NSA), Director Keith Alexander had earlier stated in a public hearing that more than 50 terrorist attacks in over 20 countries were prevented by data collected through phone records or 'business records' including emails by the PRISM programme. Now if the Yasin Bhatkal arrest was a FBI tip-off, will the NSA claim it as their own?
Whoever did the targeting, the actual capture, reads like a fantastic piece of co-ordination between various intelligence agencies, spearheaded by the NIA with the Bihar Police. Does this prove the point for a more enhanced NIA as the Union Government wants?
A screen grab of the ‘Wanted’ posting on Yasin Bhatkal at NIA website.
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