Danish man held for supplying arms in WB

Copenhagen, Apr 10: A Danish man, who has confessed to supplying arms in West Bengal in 1995 has been arrested after the Denmark officials agreed to extradite him, after years of negotiation, authorities said.

According to a prosecutor, police have known about Niels Holcks' presence in Denmark long ago but the negotiations over his extraditon carried on for years.

"It is correct that we have had knowledge of Niels Holcks' whereabouts in Denmark since 2001," Birgitte Bundsgaard said.

"The reason why the ministry of justice decided to arrest him today is partly that it has taken several years to negotiate the terms for a potential extradition with Indian authorities," Bundsgaard added.

Holcks had earlier admitted to supplying four tonnes of arms into West Bengal in collaboration with five Russians and a British national to assist locals in fighting against the government.

Danish news agency Ritzau said that Denmark has been assured that Holcks would be sent back to Nordic country to serve any possible charges and would be charged with death penalty in India.

Holcks had revealed about his arms delivery from a flight that left from Bulgaria, with Thailand as a final destination in his autobiography, They Call Me Terrorist, two years ago.

The plane was intecepted by the India's air force and while others were arrested, Holcks managed to flee.

OneIndia News