One more terror suspect held in Bangalore, total now 13

Bangalore, Sep 2 (IANS) Karnataka Police have arrested one more person with alleged links to Pakistan-based terror outfits LeT and HuJI, taking the number of people detained in the state in the last five days to 13, a police officer said Sunday.

Mohammed Akram, 22, was arrested late Saturday in Bangalore city centre when he was trying to leave the state, Bangalore Police Commissioner B. G. Jyothiprakash Mirji told reporters here.

A foreign-made 7.65 mm pistol and 16 cartridges were seized from Akram who hails from Nanded in Maharashtra, Mirji said.

He said Akram along with 12 others, who were arrested Wednesday and Friday, were hatching a conspiracy to kill their targets, said to be leading politicians, some journalists and Hindu organisation leaders, in Bangalore and elsewhere.

He said following the arrest of the 12, six from Bangalore, five from northern town of Hubli and one from Hyderabad, Akram was attempting to escape from the city when the crime branch team apprehended him.

The six held in Bangalore include a journalist, a junior research fellow in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and a doctor.

The 12th man, Obedullah-ur-Rehman, 21, was arrested in Hyderabad Friday.

Mirji said Saturday that a special team has been set up to investigate the terror links of the arrested with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Harkat-ul-Jaihad-al-Islam (Huji) and unravel their plans to carry out attacks.

The arrested have been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act.