Terror suspect Nawaz says that the Bangalore attack was planned when he met Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) member Wali in Oman in 2007
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Muscat money behind blasts
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Terror suspect Nawaz says that the Bangalore attack was planned when he met Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) member Wali in Oman in 2007
A Simi activist based in Oman funded the Bangalore blasts last July and spent Rs 3.2u00a0 lakh to execute the plan, 31-year-old terror suspect Sarfaraz Nawaz told police.
It was Nazeer too who selected the areas and a team including himself went around the city to plant bombs between 3.45 am and 5.30 am, since security was lax at that time and they would not attract attention, he added.
The money was distributed to the people who planted bombs and they were asked to leave the city at once.
Abdul Sattar's role
Nawaz also revealed that Abdul Sattar, a high school dropout, was a whizz at improvisedu00a0 explosive devices (IEDs). He not only assembled the bombs but was also responsible for preparing Kerala youth for jihad and sending them for training.
Sattar was arrested by Hyderabad police in January and later taken by their Kerala counterparts for questioning before being handed over to Karnataka police.
Nawaz's Simi links
City police commissioner S M Bidari said Nawaz, a native of Peringala in Ernakulum district, became a member of Simi in 1995.
Investigations have revealed that Nawaz attended a course at Nadwat-ul-Ulema in Lucknow between 1995 and 1998 and graduated in Aalimiat. Later, he went to Delhi and worked at the Simi head office as an office secretary in 2000. In 2001, he went to Muscat and met Kerala-based Simi leaders there. He also met several LeT members,'' Bidari said.
Police suspect that it was during a meeting with key LeT member Wali alias Rehan, a Pakistani national, in 2007 that the serial blasts in Bangalore were planned. After this, he came in contact with Ali, an Omani national, and held discussions on Jihadi operations.
Back in Kerala during Ramzan in 2007, Nawaz held detailed discussion with Aftab alias Abdul Rehman, Nazir and Abdul Jabbar. He told them the boys could be sent to Pakistan for Jihadi training.
"He then went back to Oman and selected Bangalore as a target on Wali's advice. The fund came from LeT operative Wali,'' the commissioner said.
They planned second IISc attack
Nawaz also revealed that terror suspects Nazeer, Abdul Sattar, Riyaz Bhatkal, Oman-based S Minhaj and others had planned a second attack on IISc to please their ISI bosses.
They wanted to target scientists, techies and IT companies but before they could execute the plan, it lay exposed after the J&K encounter.
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