ATS arrests terrorist suspect at Mangalore Airport

ATS arrests terrorist suspect at Mangalore Airport

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 25: Maharashtra’s Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) picked up Abdul Samad Bhatkal from Mangalore Airport on grounds that he might be one of those involved in the Pune German Bakery blast of Feb 13. Samad has just arrived at Mangalore from Dubai when he was picked up by the ATS. 

Samad, aged 22, allegedly belongs to the Indian Mujahideen and is a resident of Bhatkal. He is also believed to be related to the Bhatkal brothers, who founded the Indian Mujahideen. He possibly is associated with Yasin Bhatkal, who is involved in the blasts. 

The first development in the investigation of the Pune German Bakery blast was when the squad discovered the involvement of Yasin Bhatkal. During the second development, the 14 bank accounts of Mohsin Ismail Chowdhary, maintained at the Nanapeth branch of Ratnakar Bank Ltd., were freezed. The third development is the arrest of Samad at Mangalore Airport. 

Bhatkal, a port town in Uttara Kannada, is believed to house several Muslim terrorists. The Bhatkal brothers, the founders of the Indian Mujahideen, are believed to be associated with Lashkar-e-Toiba. Riyaz, who masterminds the group, has engineered several acts of terrorism since 2005.