UK must first confirm identity of Kafeel: Lawyer

Bangalore, Aug 3 (UNI) The family of Kafeel Ahmed, main accused in the failed Glasgow airport attack who died in Scotland yesterday, is waiting for confirmation from the British authorities over the identity of the Indian engineer before it could accept the body.

Speaking to media persons outside the Ahmeds house in Banashankari area in the city today, Family lawyer B T Venkatesh said there was no word British authorities so far and there had been no confirmation whether the dead person was indeed Kafeel, the son of doctor couple Maqbool Ahmed and Zakia.

He, however, said the officials of the Indian High Commission in London had informed the family of the death of Kafeel.

Meanwhile the city police officials tried to contact the family members of the Kafeel's family at their residence but the door remained shut. A DCP ranked official came to the house twice but could not speak to the family members.

However, sources said they had spoken to the family over telephone earlier.

A couple of people, said to be relatives of Ahmeds, did come to the street where the house was located but they too were denied entry by Kafeel's family members. When contacted one of them turned his ire over the media. "You are spoiling our peace. The family needs relief but you are only trying to trouble traumatised family," he accused.

The 27-year-old Kafeel had allegedly rammed a flaming Jeep Charokee loaded with canisters into the Glasgow airport on June 30.

Held by the police at the spot, Kafeel, who suffered 90 per cent burns, had been for his life in the special burns unit of the military hospital.

Kafeel, an engineer from Bangalore and his younger brother Sabeel Ahmed, a doctor working in Liverpool, are the two accused in the failed attack. The British police arrested Sabeel and charged him with suppressing information about the terror plot.

Their second cousin Mohammed Haneef, a doctor, who worked at Brisbane in Australia was initially detained in connection with the case but the charges were later dropped by the Australian authorities. He had thus returned to India.

UNI