Terror attack suspect nabbed in India's Agartala

After 12 years of tracking, police arrested in Agartala a suspect believed to be involved in the 2005 terror attack at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru.

The Tripura police, working with a roving team from Karnataka's State Anti-Terror Squad made the arrest from Jogendranagar in Agartala late on Friday.

The arrested man identified as Habib Miyan, had reportedly helped the main accused - Abu Hamza, a Pakistani national, and Ahmed alias Saba alias Farhan from Motihari in Bihar -- to escape to Nepal after the terror attack.

The December 2005 attack claimed the life of one Professor MC Puri and injured several other scientists.

Miyan was produced before an Agartala court for transit to Karnataka where an arrest warrant was issued earlier.

Public Prosecutor Uttam Banerjee said, “One suspect in the 2005 militant incident in Bengaluru was arrested from Jogendranagar. He has been identified as Habib Miyan and was produced in a local court with plea for transit remand to take him to Karnataka.”

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru police is likely to take Miyan to the Bengaluru on body warrant.

Meantime, Sabina Begam, sister of the arrested claimed: “My brother is innocent and not involved with any crime. He is very religious and works as a plumber. He has never gone out of the state. He has been arrested falsely.”

Police is trying to find out why Miyan had come to Agartala and whether he had plans to escape into Bangladesh, since the town is right on the border.

On Dec 28, 2005, during an international conference at the IISc, two gunmen wearing black masks and army uniforms in a car started firing indiscriminately towards the delegates killing Professor MC Puri of IIT Delhi and injuring four others.

The state government of Karnataka said it was a terror attack, making it the first such attack in Bengaluru.

But many top leaders of the Indian Mujahideen, which is close to the Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), hail from Karnataka like the Bhatkal brothers.

The IISc attack was planned by the Pakistan-based banned terror organisation LeT to discredit India, especially Bengaluru in the international community.

While Hamza is yet to be arrested, Sabahuddin was held in 2007 in Lucknow by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS). 

The trial in the IISc terror attack case began in 2008, but because Sabahuddin was also allegedly involved in the 26/11 Mumbai carnage the Mumbai ATS took his custody. He was lodged in the Arthur Road jail in Mumbai.