Crime Branch nabs Ahmedabad serial blasts accused from Kerala
- Pottanikkal used to arrange meetings for Indian Mujahideen members and supporting agents
- He was also reportedly involved in the infamous Wagamon SIMI training camp
- The camp had conspired to carry out bomb blasts in various cities
FollowIndian Mujahideen operative and accused in 2008 Ahmedabad blasts case Suhaib Pottanikkal was arrested by Crime Branch from Kerala. He is also said to be related to the banned outfit, Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had earlier found that Pottanikkal had helped to arrange meetings between members of Indian Mujahideen and people from Kerala. Pottanikkal, who was based in Dubai, also grew a network of people to help the outfit. He was the one who arranged the meetings between Indian Mujahideen members and supporting agents.
Pottanikkal hails from Thirurangadi in Malappuram and was reportedly involved in Wagamon SIMI training camp, organised by Indian Mujahideen. The meeting had conspired to carry out bomb blasts in various cities and to incite hatred against India.
Suhaib Pottanikkal, accused in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case arrested by Crime Branch from Kerala.
— ANI (@ANI_news) May 24, 2017
The SIMI members who attended the camp were also Indian Mujahideen leaders including Iqbal Bhatkal, Riyaz Bhatkal and Yasin Bhatkal. The trio had engineered a series of blasts since 2007 in various cities before agencies arrested hundreds of Indian Mujahideen and SIMI members.
In the Vagamon camp, participants had also engaged in arms training, firing practice, physical training, manufacture of bombs, etc. They were planning to wage war against India and to disrupt communal harmony causing a threat to integrity and security of the country.
Earlier, Gujarat police had arrested Mufti Abu Bashir, the suspected mastermind in the case along with nine others in connection with the blasts. Ahmedabad bombings were a series of 21 explosions that hit the city on July 2006, 2008, within a span of 70 minutes. As many as 56 persons were killed, and over 200 were injured in the incident.
Islamic militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami had claimed responsibility for the attacks.
