Big breakthrough: NIA picks up Lashkar-e-Tayiba’s top handler

New Delhi, Aug 6: In a major breakthrough the National Investigation Agency has arrested a Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist, Habibur Rahaman.

Originally a resident of Kendrapara in Odisha, he was based in Riyadh. A non bailable warrant had been issued against him in 2017. He was picked up from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, when he was returning from Riyadh.

Habibur Rahman was one of the handlers of Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist Shaikh Abdul Naeem alias Nomi who was initially arrested in 2007 while trying to infiltrate two Pakistani and one Kashmiri terrorist into India through Bangladesh.

Shaikh Abdul Naeem later on escaped from custody while he was being taken for court attendance to Maharashtra from Kolkata in August, 2014. After his escape from custody, he again started his nefarious activities on the directions of his handlers based in Pakistan and in Saudi Arabia. A well-established conspiracy was hatched between the accused for targeting vulnerable locations in India with intent of causing maximum damage.

Naeem was tasked to identify locations where terrorist attacks could be carried out. For this purpose, Naeem assumed different fake identities and visited different states including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh and did reconnaissance of possible targets for terrorist attacks. Habibur Rahman, who is affiliated to proscribed terrorist organisation LeT, arranged shelter/hideouts and funds for Shaikh Abdul Naeem on different occasions for carrying out terrorist activities in India on the directions of the LeT commander Amjad alias Rehan who is based in Pakistan.