Was Jeddah suicide bomber Fayaz Kagzi, a resident of Maharashtra?

Bengaluru, Oct 7: India made several unsuccessful attempts since 2013 to get a man called Fayaz Kagzi extradited from Saudi Arabia. There were various problems that arose which led to the failure of having this man extradited. The effects of this delay may have hit Saudi Arabia hard, as it is now being suspected that Kagzi may have been the Jeddah suicide bomber.

The Maharashtra police has written to the centre seeking details from Saudi Arabia about a person called Abdullah Qalzar Khan, who they suspect could be Fayaz Kagzi. The Maharashtra police is investigating an arms haul case in which Kagzi is an accused.

On July 4 this year the Al-Haram Al Nabawi mosque at Medina was targeted by terrorists in which four Saudi Arabian security personnel were killed. After the probe, the Saudi Interior ministry had said that the bomber was Kagzi, a resident of Beed in Maharashtra.

Who is Fayaz Kagzi?

Fayaz Kagzi is not an unfamiliar name in India. He was an accused in the Aurangabad arms haul case of 2006. His name figured in the interrogation report of Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Abu Jundal who was arrested in connection to the Mumbai 26/11 attack.

Kagzi's name also cropped up in an investigation pertaining to the Indian Mujahideen. Kagzi, who fled India after the Aurangabad arms haul case took shelter first in Pakistan and then in Saudi Arabia. He has been instrumental in handling the Indian Mujahideen from Saudi Arabia.

While India had put up a request in 2013 itself for the extradition of Kagzi, the Saudi Arabian authorities had demanded more information and proof from India. At that time India had also cited the call records of Indian Mujahideen chief, Yasin Bhatkal. There were 480 calls that were made by Yasin and in most of them he mentions Kagzi.

Kagzi and his associates were seen to be controlling the IM operations. Apart from arranging funds for their operations, Yasin is also heard discussing recruitments and also providing a safe hideout for some of the operatives who were on the radar of the Indian agencies.

Yasin, who used the number 9990985606, was in touch with an operative by the name Muzzafar Kola. This man according to the Intelligence is a close aide of Kagzi and handled the finances.

It was Kola who arranged for funds to be sent to India through a hawala network. Kola in fact received the funds raised in Saudi and Dubai and channelized it through an operator in New Delhi.

OneIndia News