Is Indian Mujahideen planning to wage chemical war against India?

Delhi Police in its latest report has revealed that dreaded terror outfit Indian Mujahideen was planning to wage chemical war against India by sending letters "soaked with poison" to their targets and kill them.

In its supplementary charge sheet, the Special Cell of Delhi Police claimed that during interrogation, suspected IM operatives Tehsin Akhtar and Mohd Waqar Azhar had disclosed that they had made efforts to make poison with the help of available chemicals.

What has Delhi Police told the court?

The police in its charge sheet filed before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh said, "During their interrogation, accused Waqar and Tehsin had disclosed that they had made efforts to make poison with the help of available chemicals such as magnesium sulphate, acetone and castor seeds. Their purpose behind making poison was to attempt target killing by sending letter soaked with poison. These chemicals have been recovered from Waqar."

What is Indian Mujahideen?

• Presently, Indian Mujahideen (IM) is the most dreaded terror outfit in the country which is responsible for several blasts and terror acts across the country.

• The IM is said to have regional aspirations with the ultimate aim of creating an "Islamic caliphate" and implementing Sharia law in India, using indiscriminate violence.

• It was born in Karnataka; it started off as a group of four or five youth. The group was called Usaba.

• Initially the plotters did not wish to reveal the identity of their organization and hence termed themselves as the Indian Warriors or the Indian Mujahideen.

• IM is a faction of Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyeba, HuJi on the impetus of ISI to carry out terror attacks across India, say Indian agencies.

• It became active in the year 2001 but its presence was felt after 2007 bombings in several Uttar Pradesh cities.

The founders of Indian Mujahideen

• IM was founded by Amir Raza Khan and Bhatkal brothers (Iqbal & Riyaz) who at present operate it from Pakistan while other key members are living in safe hideouts in Gulf countries.

• Yasin Bhatkal, another terrorist arrested by Indian agencies near Indo-Nepal border, is said to be the co-founder of the dreaded terror outfit.

How does it recruit?

• IM, like its precursor, LeT uses systematic brain washing technique by provoking vulnerable youths to follow the path of Jihad and recruits them.

• These brain-washed youths are even sent in terror camps in running in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and given all sorts of training.

The two brigades of IM

• Its two brigades namely Shahabuddin and Ghori separately carry out terror activities in south and north India respectively.

When was IM banned?

• India declared IM a terrorist outfit on June 4, 2010 and banned it.

• US also added it to its list of terrorist organisation in 2011.

• UK too banned this group in 2011 as it aimed at creating an Islamic State and implementing Sharia law in India.

Style of functioning

The terror organisation has its signature style of claiming responsibility for terror strikes through e-mails sent after the attacks.

Major terror attacks carried by IM

As per intelligence reports, IM has so far claimed the responsibilities for as many as ten dreaded terror attacks across India starting from 2007 UP bombings till 2013 serial blasts in Bodh Gaya's Maha Bodhi temple.

Some of the major terror attacks carried by IM are as follows:

2007 Uttar Pradesh bombings

2008 Jaipur bombings

2008 Bangalore serial blasts

2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts

2008 Delhi bombings

2010 Pune bombing

2010 Varanasi bombing

2011 Mumbai serial blasts

2013 Bodh Gaya blasts

Key IM men arrested by agencies

• Indian agencies came across a major breakthrough after arresting Yasin Bhatkal near Indo-Nepal border last year. Bhatkal is said to be the co-founder of this dreaded terror outfit.

• Another IM leader, Mufti Abu Bashir Ishlahi alias Abdul Wasir, was arrested by the help of Uttar Pradesh police on August 14, 2008. He was arrested from his father's home at Sarai Mir in UP's Azamgarh.

• A special team of the Kolkata Police STF arrested Zahid Hussain, a Bangladeshi national, from outside Kolkata railway station on July 3, 2014. Hussain, a resident of Mirpur in Bangladesh, is suspected to be one of the main conduits of IM leaders in India.

• Earlier this year, suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist Barkat Ali was arrested in Jodhpur.