Some months ago, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had launched a search in the city for a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative named Abu Ameen. They had little to go by except for a sketchy physical description—Ameen was believed to prefer a kurta and jeans—and a tip-off that he preferred to use public transport buses. The suspect, however, proved elusive. In the wake of the 7/11 attacks, investigating agencies have concluded that Abu Ameen was none other than one of the masterminds of the serial train blasts, Faisal Shaikh, who is now in custody. The search for Ameen during May and June this year had thrown up a blank because the man had cleverly covered his tracks while building his network in Mumbai.
| “Faisal Shaikh had chosen to remain clean-shaven and dressed in trendy outfits in a bid to look the part of an average young urbanite.” |
He had chosen the moniker Abu Ameen in Delhi to throw the police off his tracks. The name first cropped up during the interrogation of two LeT suspects, Mohammed Chipa and Feroz Ghaswala, both arrested by the special cell of the New Delhi police for carrying firearms and ammunition. The duo was also suspected to be involved in Delhi's Sarojini Nagar bomb blasts last Diwali.
| “Chipa and Ghaswala also met LeT's commander Azam Cheema alias Baba at a training camp for militants in Bahwalpur. Baba, a professor of Islamic studies in Faisalabad, was the chief of the LeT's training wing.” |
Chipa and Ghaswala had also met LeT's commander Azam Cheema alias Baba at a training camp for militants in Bahwalpur. Baba, a professor of Islamic studies in Faisalabad, was the chief of the LeT's training wing. Following their arrests, officers of the special cell had visited Mumbai and met the anti-terrorism squad (ATS) here to exchange notes. The case of the suspect named Abu Ameen was also raised. A description was sent to the intelligence agencies and local crime branch units. But until the blasts, Ameen remained elusive.