Hyderabad was terror target for Bengaluru blast accused

HYDERABAD: If

Counter Intelligence

constable K Srinivasulu had not nabbed Alamzeb Afridi, an accused in the Bangalore Church Street blast in 2016, he would have caused mayhem in Hyderabad. Amzad Khan, an IS handler-cum-recruiter who was deported by Saudi Arabia and arrested by NIA on Wednesday, reportedly sent Afridi to the city on several occasions for recce of possible targets.

Intelligence sources said Amzad Khan had in 2015 informed

Nafees Khan

of Tolichowki, a key member of the busted

Junood-ul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind

, that Afridi, who is wanted in several terror cases, would be visiting Hyderabad as part of their larger conspiracy and guide them. He claimed Afridi had experience in executing several terror strike. Afridi and Nafees scouted for places in the city to identify possible targets and Afridi was aware about the pipe bomb prepared by Nafees and his associates, the sources said.

“The confessions of Amzad, Afridi and Nafees have been corroborated. It clearly indicates that Afridi came to Hyderabad on 'several' occasions, at the behest of Amzad, before he was nabbed. Nafees and Afridi were in contact with Amzad over social media and App-based calls. It was Amzad who introduced Nafees to Afridi,“ NIA sources told TOI.

Amzad Khan and Shafi Armar, who is believed to be in Syria and supervising IS' India operations, acted as Nafees' handlers. Shafi used to guide Nafees on procuring explosives and arms, while Amzad had helped him in roping in other like-minded people to be part of the conspiracy to execute terror attacks across the country, including Hyderabad, the sources added. “It was Shafi who sent a video, which explains how to make a bomb to Nafees,“ the official added. Through Facebook, Nafees came in contact with Amzad, who inturn introduced him to Shafi Armar. Nafees spread the IS tentacles through new contacts on Facebook pages.

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