Top Lashkar bomber held in Kolkata

Kolkata: A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist wanted in 40 bomb blasts in several cities across India — including Delhi, Varanasi, Mumbai and Hyderabad — between December 1996 and January 1998 was arrested at Sealdah railway station on Friday. Abu Taher alias Mohammed Zakaria, an explosives expert and recruiter, had sneaked in from Bangladesh a few days ago, says the city’s anti-terror force, STF. The 45-year-old Abu claims to be the father-in-law of his recruiter, the dreaded LeT bomber Abdul Karim Tunda — now aged around 70. On Friday, STF commandos were lying in wait for Abu after being tipped off that he was coming to Sealdah from Lalgola (Murshidabad) to catch another train. “Our men arrested him the moment he got off the train. We have already identified some of his associates,” said special additional commissioner (STF) Rajiv Kumar. Born in Katihar, Bihar, Abu was well-educated and had good command over Arabic and Urdu. In the early ’80s, he moved to North Dinajpur where he taught at a madarsa in Karandighi. Around this time, he was hand-picked by Tunda. Since Abu knew Bengali, he was sent to Bangladesh as a recruiter for LeT. Abu stayed at Rajshahi and taught at a madarsa. He sneaked into India several times and played a key role in the blasts masterminded by Tunda. In 1999, Tunda sent him to Muridke near Lahore for advanced arms and explosive training. Here, he married and had a son and daughter. He gave her in marriage to Tunda a few years ago. Abu married a second time in Rajshahi. On Friday, during interrogation by STF, he admitted to many terrorist activities in India and Bangladesh during this period. He indoctrinated youths studying in the madarsa and even gave them basic arms and explosive training. In 2005, Abu was arrested as a member of Jamat-ul-Mujahidin Bangladesh following a blast there, but he jumped bail and sneaked into India. Both Tunda and Abu were close to the Lashkar chief in India, Azam Cheema, said a senior STF official. Abu is accused of being involved with more than 40 blasts in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Panipat, Sonepat, Ludhiana, Kanpur and Varanasi in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition. The main accused in the blasts, Jalees Ansari, a doctor, was initiated into terrorism by Tunda. After Ansari’s arrest in 1994, Tunda fled to Bangladesh with Abu. Tunda suffered a setback after the arrest of his trusted man, Mohammad Kamran, in Delhi in 1998. Abu’s arrest is a huge blow to Tunda, say police.