Bangalore: Cops draw a blank from UK terror plot

Bangalore, Aug 4: The city police have drawn a blank from its month-long probe into the antecedents of three persons from the city connected with the failed Glasgow International airport attack in June.

Speaking at a press conference here City Police Commissioner Neelam Achyuta Rao said nothing 'interesting' was found following the probe on Kafeel Ahmed, the deceased driver of the blazing jeep at Glasgow airpoirt, his brother Sabeel Ahmed and cousin Mohammed Haneef.

He denied that the city police had sent a 'dossier' to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) with regard to Haneef's alleged links with terror group al-Queda. "We never prepared any dossier on Dr Haneef and we have not sent any report to any foreign police agency," he said.

The Commissioner also revealed that neither the British police nor the AFP had contacted the city police even once, after it had begun the probe. "We were not contacted by either of the two agencies. However, we are cooperating with the Central agencies in this matter," he said.

While Sabeel, a doctor was arrested in connection with June 30 terror attack in Liverpool, Haneef, also a doctor, was discharged of charges by the Australian Federal Police. Haneef, who was working at Gold Coast hospital in Brisbane was initially detained by the AFP.

Mr Rao said the contents of the high capacity Hard Disc, recovered from the 27-year-old Kafeel's residence in Banashankari area in the city, was not yet known as the Central Forensic Research Laboratory (CFRL) in Hyderabad was still 'studying' the contents.

Mr Rao said CFRL was yet to send a report on the contents of Kafeel's hard disc. "I can't say how long it will take. We have been conducting inquiries relating to terrorism related incidents in the city and the probe on this trio is part of it. So far nothing of interest has been found with regard to Glasgow attack," he stated.

Replying to a question he said the city police could do nothing on confirmation of Kafeel's identity. "We have not received any confirmation from the British police. We are depending on only media reports. The family of the Ahmed brothers also are yet not sure of the identity. Unless we get something in writing from Britain we cannot confirm the identity" he said.

The lawyer of the Ahmed family yesterday said the British and Indian authorities had to first confirm the identity of Kafeel as they were still in a confused state. They still believed that the dead person was not Kafeel.

The officer said it would be of help if the city police received an early communication from the British authorities.

Mr Rao said the city police had not come across any information on the existence of 'sleeper cells' run by terror groups. The police could also find no connection between the 2005 terror attack on Indian Institute of Science and the Glasgow attack.

The city police were continuing their probe on terror groups possible presence in the city but they had not come across anything concrete information about al-Queda having a base in the metropolis.

UNI