Bhatkal’s aide in police custody for twin blasts

The main conspirer behind the twin blasts at M Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in 2010 was arrested in Kolkata by the Bangalore CCB police on Tuesday. The conspirer Kamaal Hassan, 24, of Madhubani in Bihar was a close associate of Yasin Bhatkal, co-founder of Indian Mujaheddeen (IM).

Hassan is the second person to be arrested by the CCB in connection with the blasts, which took place on April 17. Fifteen days ago, they had arrested another IM operative Fariq, 30, from Delhi.

Hassan was brought to the city and produced before the magistrate who remanded him in police custody for 14 days.
Although a native of Madhubani, he has been living at Nabi Karim in New Delhi for more than a decade. He was engaged in stitching business.

In 2009, he was introduced to Bhatkal by Mohamed Qateel Siddiqui and Gauhar Aziz Khomeni, both natives of Bihar and now in the custody of Bangalore police.

 He provided logistical support to Jihadi activities and hideouts for IM operatives involved in the Chinnaswamy stadium blasts and terror attack at Jama Masjid in New Delhi.  Being an expert in preparing ammunition used in fire arms, he had worked in the illegal arms factory run by Irshad Khan, father-in-law of Bhatkal, at Mir Vihar in Delhi.