Malaysia shares details of terror accused with India

New Delhi, June 7: Malaysian authorities have finally shared with India interrogation and other details pertaining to a Sri Lankan national, who had been arrested in that country on the charge of conspiring to carry out terror strikes on the US and Israeli consulates in South India.

The interrogation report claims that 47-year-old Mohammed Hussain Mohammed Sulaiman had admitted he was part of the conspiracy and had promised Sakir Hussain, his compatriot, to help reach two suicide bombers to the southern coast from Maldives, official sources said.

While Hussain, who has been convicted, is at present serving jail term in Tamil Nadu, Sulaiman has been deported to Sri Lanka from Malaysian custody.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) had requested Malayasia for details under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), signed by the two countries in 2012.

India had secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him for allegedly hatching "criminal conspiracy, acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention, possession of forged or counterfeit currency notes, terrorist act and raising funds for terrorist act".

In the interrogation report, he is alleged to have claimed that he had been tasked to ferry two terrorists from Maldives to a south Indian coast to carry out terror strike at US Consulate in Chennai and Israeli Consulate in Bangalore.

Under the MLAT, either country can approach the other for collecting evidence against an accused. However, Malaysian authorities ignored India's production warrant for Sulaiman which was sent through diplomatic channels for early execution so that the planning behind the botched terror plot could be unravelled.

However, the Attorney General's office in Malaysia did not proceed with execution of the Indian production warrant and instead suggested to its government that it deport Sulaiman to Sri Lanka where he is allegedly facing a murder case.

India had argued that Sri Lanka did not immediately require Sulaiman's custody and he could be a key to unravelling the terror plot wherein ISI-backed groups had planned to target the US mission in Chennai and the Israeli consulate in Bangalore, the sources said.

This argument failed to cut ice with the Malaysian authorities, who decided in December last year to send Sulaiman back to his home country.

PTI