Suspected LeT operative 'involved' in Akshardham attack held

Shaukatullah Ghauri, who arrived in the city from Saudi Arabia, was nabbed at RGI Airport in Shamshabad here last evening, they said.

Ghauri and his brother Farhatullah were wanted by the Gujarat Police and an arrest warrant was pending against the duo under POTA after the terror attack on Akshardham temple, which left 38 people dead and more than 80 injured, a senior Intelligence officer said.

"They are involved in Akshardham temple attack. Both the brothers initially got trained with Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit and worked in Ahmedabad. After their names figured in the suspects list for carrying out the attack on Akshardham temple, both of them fled to Saudi Arabia in 2002," he said.

While three persons were sentenced to death and 10 to life imprisonment in the Akshardham attack case, 12 other accused were absconding including the Ghauri brothers, he said.

Shaukatullah was taken back to Gujarat after he was handed over to a team of Gujarat Police here this morning, the officer said.

Further investigations are on to establish if Shaukatullah had any links in Hyderabad, he added.