One of the key questions that the Intelligence Bureau officials asked Yasin Bhatkal was about the whereabouts of his neighbours and friends -- Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal -- the founders of the Indian Mujahideen.
The Intelligence Bureau states that a full-fledged colony has been created in Karachi, Pakistan, for Indian Mujahideen operatives. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa travels to Bhatkal on Karnataka's west coast to investigate how a quaint town turned into a hotspot. There he meets the parents of Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal who, security agencies say, are behind a spate of terrorist attacks in the country.
Based on intelligence reports, the Uttar Pradesh police now believe that the masterminds of the Varanasi blast may be Asadullah Akhthar and Dr Shahnawaz. The Bhatkal brothers -- Riyaz and Iqbal -- are also suspected to have helped plan the blast, said sources.According to sources in the Intelligence Bureau, all four suspects are hiding in Sharjah, where the terror attack had been planned.
There is way too much being made out of this place and I can only say that by putting such baseless news, each one is only trying to tarnish the image of Bhatkal, says MLA J D Naik.
Riyaz Bhatkal, the founder of the Indian Mujahideen, allegedly told members of the terror outfit that Jihad should be practised not just through weapons but also through technology."Both Riyaz and his brother Iqbal, co-founder of the IM, said that Jihad is the right and duty of every Muslim and that in the 21st century, Jihad should be practised through technology," Mubin Shaikh, an arrested IM member, has confessed before a magistrate.
The road to becoming India's most dreaded terrorist has been a long one for Yasin Bhatkal.
The residents of Bhatkal, a port town in northern Karnataka, feign ignorance when asked about Yasin, one of their most infamous residents.
Yasin Bhatkal, the chief of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen who was recently arrested by Indian security agencies, came across as extremely bitter and disillusioned about his mentor -- the Inter Services Intelligence -- during his interrogation.
Yasin Bhatkal, one of India's most dreaded terrorists, has been detained at the Indo-Nepal border.
How did Mansoor Peerbhoy, an academically bright, suave and soft-spoken young man, who never exhibited any jihadist tendencies, go on to head the Indian Mujahideen's media cell?
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