'Hamza's confession proves state players' hand in 26/11' ( Lead)

Thiruvananthapuram, June 27 (IANS) India had been tracking 26/11 Mumbai terror attack suspect Abu Jindal Hamza for over a year, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Wednesday, adding that his confession proved the involvement of state players in the 2008 strike.

"We were tracking Jindal for over a year. His confession proves that there was support of state actors for 26/11 massacre," Chidambaram told reporters here.

Hamza, 30, was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi June 21 after his deportation from Saudi Arabia.

Chidambaram along with his cabinet colleagues Ambika Soni and Salman Khurshid arrived here Wednesday to take part in a media interaction arranged by the Press Information Bureau as the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government completed its third year in office.

Chidambaram said the world had appreciated the resolve and patience India showed while handling the 26/11 attack probe.

He said: "...there was state support and there were state actors. At the moment we are not pointing fingers at anyone."

To a question about underworld don Dawood Ibrahim stationed in Pakistan, he said, "Pakistan denies this flatly".