IM Goes Global, Linked With Al-Qaeda, Taliban And ISI Orgs

By Sudheer Verma | INNLIVE

Indian Mujahideen is helping al-Qaeda to run a separate module in India as part of the home-grown terror outfit's efforts to go global by establishing strong links with radical groups like Taliban and Hizbut Tahrir and break free from the ISI control.

The banned outfit, which is no more sorely dependent on Pakistan's ISI, is procuring funds from other sources. Among its grand plans is a missile attack on Indian cities with the help of Taliban. The IM also planned to attack Surat with nuclear warheads which it tried to procure from Pakistan.
These alarming details are part of a chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency against top IM commander Yasin Bhatkal and Assadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, who were arrested last year from the Indo-Nepal border.

Details of online conversations between Pakistan-based IM leader Riyaz Bhatkal and Yasin are mentioned in the chargesheet. In several conversations, Riyaz repeatedly refers to ISI as "kuttey" (dogs) while speaking about IM's links with other groups and not depending on the Pakistani spy agency alone.

In the chargesheet, the NIA has claimed that in one of these chats, Riyaz mentioned to Yasin that there was a person from al-Qaeda based in Uttar Pradesh who was running a terror module other than IM. "Riyaz told now they are with al-Qaeda...and mentioned that task of targeting Jews was one of the main objectives," the NIA states.

During one of these chats, Riyaz told Yasin that al-Qaeda had appreciated the Maoist attack on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh last year.

Yasin was directed to prepare for missile attacks. Riyaz said they were being prepared and work on it was continuously going on in Afghanistan. "Riyaz mentioned that one person who was with the Taliban worked for ISI," the chargesheet says.

Giving details of IM's global links, NIA says the top IM leadership is not very happy about ISI control on their activities. IM wants to intensify their war against India with assistance of global terror outfits like al-Qaeda and Taliban, the chargesheet says. It also mentions that the chats reveal that IM member Bada Sajid is currently fighting on the Afghan-Pak border. Sajid was present in the Batla House in Delhi in 2008 when the encounter took place.

The probe agency claims that it is established that Riyaz travelled to tribal belts on the Afghan-Pak border for establishing contact with al-Qaeda. "After the meeting which was very fruitful, al-Qaeda gave specific tasks to IM for execution and also agreed to train their cadres in terrorist activities," the chargesheet states.

The chargesheet also mentions that there is rift within IM - one group is led by Bada Sajid and the other headed by Iqbal and Riyaz Bhatkal. The chats quoted by NIA, in the chargesheet, also mention IM's plans to set up bases and hideouts in countries like Tibet and Azerbaijan.

The NIA also claims that IM has independently found financers in the UAE. The chats reveal several sources from where the group is getting money to carry out terror activities. Many of the financers were businessman from Dubai, who had migrated from Karnataka.