Telangana police arrest LeT man wanted for plotting blasts in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Feb 4: A Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, wanted for allegedly plotting explosions in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and near a temple in 2004, was arrested by Telangana Police after his deportation from Saudi Arabia, police said on Feb 3.

Abdul Aziz alias Ashrafi alias Giddah, a resident of Babanagar in Jalpally here, was allegedly involved in two cases pertaining to conspiracy to cause blasts in Hyderabad in 2001 and another one on conspiracy to cause explosion at Ganesh temple in Secunderabad in 2004, they said.

Abdul Aziz, a hardcore communal element and the LeT operative, conspired to cause explosions in twin cities, a release issued by Telangana Police stated.

"Abdul Aziz went to Saudi Arabia in the 90s, where he came into contact with LeT operatives. Aziz was expert in the fabrication of IEDs and was planning to cause explosions in Hyderabad and near the Ganesh temple in Secunderabad in 2004," as per the release.

He had been arrested in August 2001 and was released on bail in December that year. However, he jumped the bail in August 2003 and has been absconding since then. Abdul Aziz was deported to India from Jeddah by Saudi authorities.

"He was in jail in Saudi Arabia for several years and after undergoing imprisonment he was deported," police said, adding the accused was being brought to the city.

Abdul Aziz was arrested at Lucknow airport yesterday by the Uttar Pradesh ATS and Telangana police after he landed by a flight from Jeddah.

PTI