Hyderabad: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) confirmed that Mohammed Rafeeq alias Alam Jeb Afridi — initially identified as Asghar when he was arrested by Telangana police in Bengaluru —was involved in the Church Street Blasts in Bengaluru.
The man maintained close links with the ISIS module that was recently busted in Hyderabad which planned to “pipe bomb” the city.
In the Church Street blasts case, pipe bomb was used. Recently, the state police and NIA found the material used to make pipe bombs with Mohd. Nafees Khan of Tolichowki. Md. Rafeeq had stabbed TS state counter intelligence policemen while the team from Hyderabad pounced on him in Bengaluru.
According to NIA, Afridi is a native of Ahmedabad. He is identified as part of the ex-Simi cadre and having organised a terror training camp in Vagamon in Kerala. A case is pending against him in this respect since 2010. He confessed that he wanted to plant a bomb in Coconut Grove Bar and Restaurant to target an Israeli delegation that was to have dinner there that night, but could reach only as far as to plant it outside the street. NIA said the bomb blast had occurred at about 8.30 pm on December 28, 2014 in front of the restaurant in Bengaluru, causing the death of one civilian.
The CCTV footage of Church Street blast suspect, Mohd Rafeeq, who was arrested in Bengaluru on Friday.
Afridi had been absconding for more than five years and NIA had announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh for information leading to his arrest. He lived on the Bengaluru outskirts for nearly three years and worked as mechanic for air conditioners.
He planted the bomb on the basis of information provided by his handler about the visit of an Israeli delegation to the restaurant for dinner. His handler had taught him the technique of making the bomb, but Afridi himself procured the material locally. The kind of IED used in the blast was similar to what was used in the Gandhi Maidan blasts in Patna in October 2013, the Bengaluru Guwahati Express train blast in Chennai in May 2014 and the Roorkee blast of December 2014, NIA has concluded.
“As per the available information, Afridi is also suspected to be involved in the Ahmedabad blasts of 2008. He was closely linked to several SIMI leaders, all of whom are absconding. He has also admitted to his role in committing an incident of arson at the Israeli Visa Centre in Bengaluru. During a search of his residence, investigators recovered a lot of anti semitic hate literature.
A forensic examination of the IED used in Bengaluru had revealed the use of ammonium nitrate, sulphur and potassium chlorate in the mixture used in preparation of IED packed in an iron pipe.
33 year old quizzed over ISIS sympathy
A 33-year-old man from Mallepally was grilled by intelligence sleuths for his alleged connection with the four arrested ISIS sympathisers.
His brother says that the police let him off after finding no evidence against him.
The sleuths picked him up after they received information that he was earlier seen with the IS fan boys Nafeez Khan, Obedullah Khan, Mo-hammad Shariff Mo-hiuddin and Abu Anas, who were earlier arrested by NIA.
The man, who is an employee in a private company, said that he was just an acquaintance and had met them while drinking tea at a local shop. Senior officials said that the NIA has not made any new arrest in the last three days.
