
Bodh Gaya blasts: Al Qaeda-linked group took credit
An outfit claiming to be the Indian wing of global terror group al Qaeda had claimed responsibility for the Bodh Gaya serial blasts on July 7 last year, counter terror officials told HT.
This is the first instance in the country where responsibility of a terror strike has been claimed by an outfit claiming to be an associate or wing of al Qaeda.
The letter named the outfit as Jamat al-Tawhid wal-Qisas (the organisation of monotheism and retaliation) — a probable reference to Jamat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, which was the previous name of al Qaeda in Iraq.
"Almost a month after the Bodh Gaya serial blasts in Bihar, the press information bureau (PIB) office in Patna received a hand-written letter sent by an outfit claiming to be 'Indian Islamic Wing of al Qaeda', which said that the Buddhist shrine was targeted in retaliation to atrocities on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar," said a central counter-terror official on condition of anonymity.
The letter, written in chaste Hindi, began with 'Sabhi Tarif Allah ki hai jo sare jahan ka palanhar hai aur sachcha mabood hai' (All praise is for Allah who nurtures the whole world and who is a true divine) and then went on to claim that the group has targeted one of the most important 'forts' of Buddhism.
Terming the 26/11 Mumbai attack convict Ajmal Kasab as martyr, the letter drew references to Mushtafa Abu Yajeed (an Egyptian al Qaeda operative killed in 2010), Ustad Ahmad Farooq (al Qaeda's spokesperson in Pakistan) and Wali ur-Rehman (slain Pakistani Taliban leader).
The letter threatened BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, his trusted aide Amit Shah and President Pranab Mukherjee in particular.
"It is kind of a new manifesto of jihad in India. It also shows how the idea of jihad has seeped deep inside the Hindi heartland. We suspect it was written by Hyder Ali who allegedly raised the Ranchi-Raipur module of jihadis responsible for the Bodh Gaya strike and the Patna serial blasts during Narendra Modi's rally.
Ali was in also in touch with Indian Mujahideen operative Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu who allegedly executed the Hyderabad twin blasts in February last year," said the official.
Indian counter-terror officials have long believed that Bodh Gaya was targeted because of the growing influence of al Qaeda over Indian jihadis.
Terror outfit Indian Mujahideen's top operative Yasin Bahtkal has already revealed his Pakistan-based associates were in contact with al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan and tribal areas of Pakistan.

‘Behave humanely with Rohingyas’, Farooq Abdullah tells Centre
- The Jammu and Kashmir administration during a verification drive on Saturday sent 169 illegal immigrant Rohingyas to a ‘holding centre’ after they were found without valid travel documents.

Inter-state boundary talks with Assam after election: Meghalaya CM Sangma

Punjab logs 1,239 new Covid-19 cases, tally nearing 190,000

Supreme Court stays demolition of Dargah Mubarak Khan Shaheed in Gorakhpur

News updates from HT: Dhinakaran's AMMK gives 3 seats to Owaisi's AIMIM

Unicef report on child marriages has a stark warning for India, 4 more countries
- The report said that closing of schools, economic stress, parental deaths and pregnancies due to the coronavirus pandemic could increase the risk of child marriage.

Women's Day: Thanks to liquor ban, women safe in Gujarat, says CM Rupani

Tripura royal scion’s party to go it alone in tribal council polls

President Ram Nath Kovind presents Baton of Honor to Kiran Bedi

No major report of discordant results reported by Covid-19 testing labs: Govt

Issues in Co-WIN, vaccine hesitancy caused low vaccination coverage, says Govt

Odisha forms task force to control wildfires as more forests start burning
- On Monday, Odisha reported 668 large forest fires.

Fire at Eastern Railway office in Kolkata, one injured
- The 13th floor houses the accounts office of the Eastern Railways.

Mukesh Agnihotri says HP state government hiding several economic data in budget

Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari demands restoration of J-K’s statehood, elections
- Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari said that political parties should join hand to fight for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and not just sit and watch how the BJP’s plan unfolds.