2011 blasts: ‘Indian Mujahideen operative’ arrested at Mumbai airport

The accused, Zainul Abedin, was allegedly involved in supplying the explosives used in the Mumbai triple blasts.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday arrested an alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative in connection with the 2011 Mumbai blasts.

As many as 27 people were killed and another 127 injured in the terror attacks. (Photo for representational purposes only)

ATS sources said the accused, Zainul Abedin, was picked up from the Mumbai airport. The twelfth person to be arrested in the case, he was earlier detained in Saudi Arabia in 2015.

The accused was allegedly involved in supplying the explosives used in the Mumbai triple blasts. The bombings were executed by Yasin Bhatkal, who also planted one of the explosives.

Read: Delhi court discharges 2 Indian Mujahideen men due to lack of evidence

Abedin, hailing from Bhatkal, is allegedly close to IM operative Riyaz Bhatkal – who operates from Pakistan. Sources said his name came up during the questioning of an accused from Karnataka, who was arrested by the ATS last year.

A mixture of trinitrotoluene, ammonium nitrate and petroleum carbon oil was used to prepare four bombs that were set off at Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and Dadar between 6.52 pm and 7.05 pm. Though a fourth bomb was planted at the Dadar Phool Market under a police van, it did not go off.

The bombs were assembled in a rented room at Habib Mansion in Byculla. As many as 27 people were killed and another 127 injured in the three blasts.