IM planned attack on Gujarat jail: Chargesheet

Terrorist-outfit Indian Mujahideen’s (IM) operatives were planning a human bomb attack on the Sabarmati central jail in Ahmedabad to free their jailed associates, the NIA chargesheet against Yasin Bhatkal and his three associates has revealed.

Terrorist-outfit Indian Mujahideen’s (IM) operatives were planning a human bomb attack on the Sabarmati central jail in Ahmedabad to free their jailed associates, the NIA chargesheet against Yasin Bhatkal and his three associates has revealed.

Besides Bhatkal, the chargsheet also names his associates — Asadullah Akhtar, Uzair Ahmed and Manzar Imam More.

More than a dozen alleged IM operatives are currently lodged in the Sabarmati jail on charges of participating in the Ahmedabad serial blasts of July 2008.

This is not the first time that authorities have discovered escape plans of accused lodged in Sabarmati jail. In February 2012 jail authorities stumbled upon a 214-feet long tunnel in the jail, allegedly dug to escape from the prison.

“The plan to carry out a human bomb attack on the Sabarmati jail to free IM operatives lodged there was discussed by Yasin Bhatkal and Asadullah Akhtar in their online chats with the Pakistan-based top operatives — Riyaz Bhatkal and Mirza Shadab Baig. In fact Asadullah Akhtar offered to become a suicide bomber in the course of discussions,” said a government official.

In one of emails sent by the IM leadership way back in 2008, in which the group claimed responsibility for multiple terror strikes in the country, it was declared that the outfit would form a fidayeen squad.

The IM called the squad as Shaheed al Zarqawi Brigade after the al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi, who was killed in Iraq by the US forces.