The involvement of three Muslim youths from Bangalore in the failed UK terror plot last week is not the first case of its kind. The conspirators of the 7/11 Mumbai train bombings were helped by a software engineer Muzammil Shaikh, who was working in a MNC in Bangalore before his arrest.
Muzammil is one of the 13 accused facing charges for bombing seven Mumbai trains that killed over200 people. He is the brother of main conspirator and LeTs’ Western India “commander” Faisal Shaikh, who lived in Mira Road in North of Mumbai.
Muzammil was working with a multinational in Bangalore for quite sometime and was reportedly earning Rs 40,000 a month. After a key suspect and terrorist motivator Dr Tanvir Ansari divulged their names, Muzammil was picked up from his Bangalore apartment.
The Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has accused him of helping Faisal in routing finances received from abroad using his software skills. He is also suspected to have actually planted bomb in one of the trains. His and Faisal’s interrogation revealed that the terrorists were planning to attack India’s premier nuclear establishment Babha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai.
While Faisal was in touch with LeT’s boss Azam Cheema, Muzammil too had gone to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir for training and learnt about assembling bombs and explosive devices.