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Top Hizb activist arrested,
explosions during puja prevented

The terrorist was assigned the task keeping in mind his expertise in the making and use of sophisticated arms and ammunition.

Delhi Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma told a press conference on Thursday that with the arrest of Latif Mohammed Bhatt alias Bilal Ashraf, a major tragedy was averted in the city.

Bhatt, an expert in the making and handling of Improvised Explosive Devices, was arrested with a consignment of 5.4 kilograms of RDX while he was waiting for the delivery of other explosive materials by members of the Lashkar-e-tayiba in Subhash Park near Jama Masjid at around 2145 hours (IST).

Police, Sharma said, were on the trail of the two members of the Lashkar - Yabar and Yasar - who were assigned to supply detonators and timers to Latif. They, apparently, changed their plans at the last moment.

Police also suspect the presence of a few other militants in the capital.

During interrogation, Latif admitted that he had come to Delhi with the sole objective of causing explosions at Ram Lila venues. He has about six years' experience in the handling of sophisticated explosive devices after having undertaken training at various centres in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Bhatt, presently the Hizb's district commander of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested after police received a tip off from military intelligence that he was present in the capital with an objective to cause disturbances, the police chief said.

Sources were deployed and guest houses and hotels in the city were kept under surveillance after receiving the tip off, he added.

Subsequently, information was received that Bilal Ashraf would come to meet his associates on a scooter at Subhash Park in the evening and a trap was laid.

During interrogation, Latif disclosed that he was a resident of village Gandbal in J&K and operates in the valley under the call sign Charlie 777. He was motivated to join the militancy movement in 1993 and, subsequently, crossed over to Pakistan in 1994 for training.

He undertook training at Attuck in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (conducted by the Inter Services Intelligence and Pakistan army officers), Jungle Mangal training camp in Muzaffarabad, Khost training camp in Afghanistan and one camp in Muridke, district Sheikhpura in Pakistan.

During the training, Latif came in contact with hardcore terrorists like Zakur-ul-rehman, Fazlu Haq and Abdul Karim Tunda alias Baba.

He is trained in the use of Kalashnikovs, Light Machine Guns, Pika guns, rocket launchers, grenades and handling of Tri Nitro Toulene and IEDs, and conducting raid and ambush operations.

He was in Pakistan till January this year. As the district commander of Pulwama, he, along with his colleagues in the Hizb Razak and Momin, carried out several attacks on army and police parties and their installations in Beeru and Tungmarg forest area in the Pir Panjal range.

UNI

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