Little-known Islamic Security Force-Indian Mujahideen (ISF-IM) on Friday claimed responsibility for Thursday’s serial blasts that killed 77 people
GUWAHATI: Little-known Islamic Security Force-Indian Mujahideen (ISF-IM) on Friday claimed responsibility for Thursday’s serial blasts that killed 77 people in Assam even as the security establishment suspects that the terror attack was a joint operation of the banned Ulfa (United Liberation Front of Asom) and Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami.
In an SMS message sent to local ‘News Live’ television channel, the ISF-IM claimed responsibility for Thursday’s blasts and threatened to carry out more bomb explosions in several parts of the country. “We, ISF-IM, take the responsibility of yesterday blast. We warn all of Assam and India for situation like this in future. We thank all our holy members and partners. AAamin,” the SMS read.
The SMS was received on the mobile of the channel’s input desk from a Reliance connection with the number 98646-93690. The mobile phone was subsequently switched off and security forces traced it to Moirabari in Central Assam’s Nagaon district registered in the name of Nazir Ahmed.
The outfit was formed in 2000 in Lower Assam’s Bodo-dominated areas “to counter” the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) and NDFB militants, police sources said.
The police, however, have reasons to believe that Huji-ULFA was behind the attack.
“We are not taking seriously the denial by ULFA (of any hand in the blasts) because on earlier occasions also they have done so,” a top Assam police official said.
The ULFA cadres are being trained by jehadi militants and there is definitely a link between the two which is being investigated, he said.
Although the gameplan was of the Bangladesh-based Huji outfit, the police have got clues that it was carried out by the help of select individuals having local links and there the ULFA angle came in, he said.
The authorities had also pointed out Huji involvement because of the fact that except for one minority dominated pocket in Barpeta, all the other bomb attacks were carried out in general public places.
“The minority pocket was selected to mislead the people ....even the intensity of the blast was less,” he said.
A handful of persons with criminal background have been picked up from various places of the state following the blasts, the police official said, adding “vital clues have been gathered”.
Refusing to divulge the details as it may hamper further investigation, he said the Huji along with the ULFA had planned a series of attacks after the killing of seven Jehadi militants in Dhubri district.
“Of late, frequent movement of ULFA militants to Bhutan have been noticed which could also be a pointer to the plan to unleash violence,” he said.
While there were unconfirmed reports of ULFA-Huji links since 1998, the nexus was proved in 2003 with the arrest of some Jehadi militants and their subsequent confessions. -
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