Indian Mujahideen wanted to nuke Surat, save Muslims

Why did the Indian Mujahideen's attempts to bomb Surat into oblivion fail? Vicky Nanjappa explains

In a chilling revelation, Indian Mujahideen chief Yasin Bhatkal, who is currently in the custody of Delhi police, has told interrogators that the terror group was planning to use a small nuclear bomb while carrying out a devastating strike in the industrial city of Surat in Gujarat.

Explaining why the IM decided to use the world’s most dangerous weapon -- which would have caused the death of millions and wiped off the city -- Yasin admitted that an earlier terror attempt in Surat had failed miserably, according to a source in Delhi police.

“Although (fellow terror operative) Riyaz (Bhatkal) assured that such a strike could be arranged, we found it impossible to access a nuclear bomb. In our earlier attempt, we had used state-of-the-art technology at Surat, yet none of the bombs worked,” the source quoted Yasin as saying.

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Incidentally, the IM chief claimed that he had been instructed by fellow terror operative Riyaz Bhatkal to evacuate all members of the Muslim community from the city, before carrying out the strike.

He reportedly added, “We wanted to ensure that no Muslim was killed or injured in the attack. We were planning on using high-powered explosives and knew that the casualty rate would be high".

“We then decided to visit all the mosques in Surat and urge the Muslims to leave the place. Initially, we contemplated pasting a message on the walls of the mosques, but couldn't do as as we feared that information about the impending strike would be leaked. Worse, we didn’t get any encouragement from local members of the Muslim community,” the source quoted Yasin as saying.

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Meanwhile, Yasin has been brought to Chickmagalur, Karnataka, for further investigations.

Riyaz, who is believed to be hiding in Pakistan, and his brother Iqbal own a piece of land in this town.

Chickmagalur was a major hub of terror activity for the Indian Mujaideen and the plot of land was used as a training ground for terrorists, according to Yasin’s own confessions

The southern town was also the bomb-making base for the terror outfit, whose members stored ammonium nitrate -- a component extensively used in explosives -- in a shed on the land owned by the Bhatkals.

Yasin has admitted that IM terrorists were learning how to make deadlier bombs, said the source.

“Some of our cadres were sent to Pakistan to learn how to make powerful bombs and how to use AK-47 rifles,” the IM chief reportedly told his interrogators.

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