JOIN USKerala train arson accused was highly radicalised, says police
Shahrukh Saifi, the man suspected of setting fire to a train in Kerala, was a person who had a high level of radicalisation, according to the Kerala police team looking into the issue.
Saifi (27) was held over starting a fire in the D1 coach of the Alappuzha-Kannur intercity express train at Kozhikode on the night of April 2, which claimed three lives and caused burns to nine. Section 16 of the UAPA was invoked against him on Sunday.
Additional DGP (law & order) M R Ajithkumar, heading the special investigation team, said that the accused was a highly radicalised person and the train arson was planned. He was found to be constantly watching videos of Islamic preachers.
"We have decided to invoke UAPA based on clear scientific, oral and documentary evidence. Saifi, who hails from Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, is a highly radicalised person and used to frequently watch videos of preachers like Zakir Naik. It requires more time to see if any others were involved in the crime," Ajithkumar told reporters.
Even as there were reports that the NIA may take over the probe as UAPA was invoked, the ADGP said that the Kerala Police had probed UAPA cases earlier also.
Saifi studied up to higher secondary at National Open University. He seemed to have come down to Kerala for the first time.
Saifi, who escaped from Kerala after the train arson, was held from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra during the early hours of April 5 by the Maharashtra police and Anti-Terrorism Squad. Apart from the Kerala police, central agencies were also probing the case owing to the suspected terror angles.