Yasin Bhatkal is said to be a co-founder of the Indian Mujahideen group. He was wanted for planning bomb blasts in Bangalore in 2010 and Pune in 2012. He was listed in the National Investigative Agency's Most Wanted before his arrest.
The Indian Mujahideen, a group of disparate militant elements, has claimed responsibility for some of the most horrific and audacious terrorist strikes in the country, including the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts, the 2008 Delhi bombings and the Bodh Gaya blasts last year.
Since his arrest in August on the border with Nepal, here are some of the other things his interrogators claim he has admitted to.
1.Planning to nuke Surat
Bhatkal allegedly asked his Pakistan-based boss, Riyaz Bhatkal, over phone whether he could arrange a small nuclear bomb to attack the prosperous city of Surat. His handler responded, “Anything can be arranged in Pakistan."
2. Making an IED inspired by Hollywood
"I was desperate for planting the bombs in Gujarat. I was inspired by a Hollywood movie... in which these boat structures were used. To make it more lethal, I bought aluminium sheets and nails from a hardware shop in Udupi," he allegedly said, talking about the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts.
3. Masterminding bomb blasts in Mumbai, Varanasi, Hyderabad, Delhi
Though he was originally blamed for blasts in Bangalore and Pune, the authorities later named him for being the key plotter of attacks on Mumbai, Varanasi, Hyderabad and Delhi
4. Setting up a bomb research lab in a Portuguese-style house in Goa
Goa Police claimed that Bhatkal had rented a red-brick villa in Anjuna to stock nitrate, chemicals and test tubes for a bomb research lab.
5. Hiding his real name from his wife
Bhatkal is said to have married a woman in New Delhi claiming to be Imran from Lucknow. "Months after the marriage, he had left Zahida with her parents promising to return after some time but he never did," one of her neighbours told a news channel.
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The Indian Mujahideen, a group of disparate militant elements, has claimed responsibility for some of the most horrific and audacious terrorist strikes in the country, including the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts, the 2008 Delhi bombings and the Bodh Gaya blasts last year.
Since his arrest in August on the border with Nepal, here are some of the other things his interrogators claim he has admitted to.
1.Planning to nuke Surat
Bhatkal allegedly asked his Pakistan-based boss, Riyaz Bhatkal, over phone whether he could arrange a small nuclear bomb to attack the prosperous city of Surat. His handler responded, “Anything can be arranged in Pakistan."
2. Making an IED inspired by Hollywood
"I was desperate for planting the bombs in Gujarat. I was inspired by a Hollywood movie... in which these boat structures were used. To make it more lethal, I bought aluminium sheets and nails from a hardware shop in Udupi," he allegedly said, talking about the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts.
3. Masterminding bomb blasts in Mumbai, Varanasi, Hyderabad, Delhi
Though he was originally blamed for blasts in Bangalore and Pune, the authorities later named him for being the key plotter of attacks on Mumbai, Varanasi, Hyderabad and Delhi
4. Setting up a bomb research lab in a Portuguese-style house in Goa
Goa Police claimed that Bhatkal had rented a red-brick villa in Anjuna to stock nitrate, chemicals and test tubes for a bomb research lab.
5. Hiding his real name from his wife
Bhatkal is said to have married a woman in New Delhi claiming to be Imran from Lucknow. "Months after the marriage, he had left Zahida with her parents promising to return after some time but he never did," one of her neighbours told a news channel.
