Global links for Kerala unit of SIMI

KOZHIKODE: The Kerala unit of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India, which is suspected to be the mastermind behind the Mumbai blasts, had links with international terrorist outfits and had given training in the use of explosives and weapons to its cadres in the state.

Some of its cadres from the state had gone to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir to get training from the terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen. It is suspected that the SIMI activists in Kerala, working under the cover of some other frontal organisations, still maintain their connection with the terrorist groups.

The statement given by Imam Ali alias Abdul Haq alias Sivakumar alias Bilal, a hard-core terrorist, to the Coimbatore police is a telling piece of document on the extremist network operating in Kerala.

Imam Ali, an accused in the explosion at the RSS headquarters at Chennai, was later shot dead in a police encounter at Bangalore. Ali, an expert in making bombs, got in touch with SIMI while he was in jail in 1991 in connection with a blast case.

According to the statement, after meeting with the SIMI leaders, Imam Ali was sent to PoK in June 1992. There he met one Maqbul Ilahi, an area commander of the Hizbul Mujahidheen. He stayed there for one-and-a-half months and learnt how to use weapons like AK47 and M16. He was also taught how to make bombs with remote control devices and timers.

On his way back he went to the office of the SIMI in Delhi where he met one Basheer Ali. It is not clear whether the person was CMA Basheer, the South Indian Commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba.

From Delhi, he came to Kozhikode via Chennai, Gudallore and Ooty. He was then taken to the SIMI office in Kozhikode and the next day to Veliyamkode in Malappuram district.

Ali said in the statement that he had stayed at Veliyamkode for five days and conducted training in the use of explosives for the SIMI activists. It may be recalled that police had recovered hundreds of pipe bombs from the Kadalundi river in 1993. The bombs were suspected to be made by those who got training under Imam Ali.

Imam Ali also stated that he had gone to Bangladesh at the instance of SIMI leaders. He also had gone to the office of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth in Dhaka.

SIMI activists are also involved in other blast cases in the state, including the one at Kuttiyadi in 1993. SIMI workers were injured when the explosive went off while making the bomb.