11/7: ATS manhunt for JeM operative

The Mumbai police have launched a massive manhunt for a Jaish-e-Mohammed (still unidentified) terror operative, who was supposed to meet suspected Pakistani terrorists — Mohammed Nawabuddin Riyaz and Mohammed Ali alias Abu Osama — and give instructions to them on targeting multiple targets, including the country's premier nuclear research complex, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, and other locations across the western railway-line.

The Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) had early on Tuesday arrested Riyaz at Wadala Terminus, and based on information provided by him, killed his aide Ali, in an encounter at Antop hill. According to ATS Chief Joint Police Commissioner KP Raghuvanshi, during interrogation Riyaz said that “the JeM had planned to meet him and Ali together but has since gone missing.”

Ali, according to Riyaz, had entered the city “only three days back” before and knew much more about the outfit’s terror plans than him. Riyaz told the police that he is a member of the JeM, as reported earlier in the Hindustan Times, and had received training at its base in Pakistan. However, he feigned ignorance about the vital details on Ali's background.

The ATS suspects that Ali could have been a part of the group of seven terrorists, who had entered the country. Two of them were recently arrested by the Kolkata police. “We have contacted the West Bengal police and their CID team will come to assist us in the probe,” said Raghuvanshi.

“Riyaz also revealed that now JeM and the Lashkar carry out terror operations together and sometimes inter-change their operatives,” he added.

At present the ATS is trying to decode the map of terror — which is encoded in a copy of Mumbai map — recovered from Riyaz and Ali after the Antop hill encounter. The map has certain locations marked in red, including the Anu Shakti Nagar, locations across the western line, Byculla, Bandra and “probably the Siddhivinayak temple”. Raghuvanshi refused to comment on whether the ATS headquarter at Byculla was a target as well.

Riyaz had also worked as a scrap-dealer in Silakui, Uttaranchal. An ATS team has gone to Silakui to get more details about him from his employers. Riyaz had spent some time in Kashmir and Delhi, before going to Silakui.