A special team from the Central Crime Branch of the Bangalore Police on Friday arrested a student in Hyderabad for his alleged terror links.
The student, identified as Obaid Rehman, was arrested a day after 11 youths were arrested in Bangalore for their suspected links with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (HUJI). The arrest of Obaid was reportedly made on the confession of the 11 suspects picked up from Bangalore on Thursday. He is believed to have links with the HUJI.
"He is part of the module busted in Karnataka, who were plotting to kill MPs, MLAs and journalists with rightist leanings," a police official was reported as saying by IBN Live.
At a press conference in Bangalore after the arrest of the 11 youths on Thursday, Commissioner of Police JP Mirji said that they were planning to target important personalities in Karnataka, including politicians and journalists. "Targeting individuals could have created communal tension," he added.
He said a 7.65 mm foreign-made pistol had been seized from a house in the city from where six of them were arrested.
Meanwhile, the youths arrested in Karnataka were produced in a court in Bangalore and were remanded to 14 days police custody.
The arrested included a journalist of a national newspaper and a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist.
Those who were arrested in Bangalore have been identified as Shoaib Ahmed Mirza (25), Abdullah alias Abdul Hakim Jamdar (25), Izaz Mohammed Mirza (25), Mohammed Yosuf Nalaband (28), Riyaz Ahmed Byahatti (28) and Muthi-ur-Rehman Siddiqui (26).
Meanwhile, the families of the youths held a joint press conference in Bangalore on Friday and expressed shock over the arrest of the youngsters.
"My elder son (Izaz) studied engineering and joined DRDO in Bangalore as a junior scientist early this year (January) and younger son (Shoaib) is studying in MCA (masters in computer applications).Both the brothers are studious and hard working. They never gave us an impression being associated or involved in any unlawful activities. We are devastated by their sudden arrest without warrant or court order," said AM Mirza, father of Izaz and Shoaib, at the press conference.
