Yasin Bhatkal had met Naxals before the Gaya blasts

New Delhi, Sept 23: NIA agencies who have the custody of suspected terrorist

have revealed that he had met

in Nepal before the terror attack in Bodh Gaya on July 7. It is further alleged that Bhatkal had himself surveyed the area, a year before the blast occurred. In fact, one can find similarities in the modus operandi of the blast with that of the Maoists.

The investigating teams had found a 3-kg cylinder containing trinitrotoluene (TNT) and ammonium nitrate from under the sacred Bodh Gaya tree, which was not damaged during the blasts. The explosives used were similar to that of the bombs used by Maoists.

Until Bhatkal had confessed about his involvement, the NIA was probing into three possibilities-Naxal involvement, international infiltration and local communal issues. In this regard, the agency had also held 100 foreign national students in Magadh University, especially after the sketches of the blast suspects were released.

Bhatkal further confessed that he had supplied explosive materials to a person to plant in various parts of the country. "During his interrogation, Bhatkal revealed that Pakistan's intelligence agency has been working on a multipronged strategy to spread terror in India. For this, they are trying to rope in the Naxals as well," said an NIA official.

OneIndia News