NIA arrests Indian Mujahideen member Ariz Khan alias Junaid- the mastermind of Delhi serial blasts

New Delhi, April 19: On Wednesday the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Delhi serial blasts accused Ariz Khan alias Junaid. He is also the working member of Indian Mujahideen (IM). NIA has unearthed key details on the functioning of the IM following the arrest of Ariz Khan. He has been remanded in NIA custody until the 24th of April. 

NIA spokesperson said: “Investigation, in this case, has revealed that accused Ariz Khan @ Junaid was involved in the serial blast at Delhi in the year 2005, serial blast at Varanasi in the year 2006, Uttar Pradesh Court blast in the year 2007, serial blast at Jaipur in the year 2008, serial blast at Ahmedabad in the year 2008 and serial blast at Delhi in the year 2008.”

It was learnt that the IM had conspired to commit acts of terror in a bid to destabilize the country. They had planned on targeting various important and prominent places such as Delhi by carrying out serial blasts. The NIA had filed a case in this regard in 2012 against the members of the Indian Mujahideen for waging war against the country.

The NIA further learnt that the blasts were carried with the support of homegrown terror modules as well as support from Pakistan.

Khan alias Junaid aged 32 had played a key role in the conspiracy. He was involved in almost all major blasts that ripped the country between 2005 and 2008. He was charged by the NIA on September 2014.

Further, the NIA has also learnt that he was part of the Batla House encounter. He was present with four others and had managed to give the police the slip on September 19, 2008, in Delhi's Jamia Nagar, in which two IM terrorists were killed and as many arrested.

Following the incident, he along with his accomplice, Shahzad had visited their relatives. They moved from Delhi to UP and from there to Rajasthan and later Maharashtra. After being denied help, they slipped into Nepal.

In Nepal, Khan alias Junaid obtained a passport and citizenship under the name of Salimn Khan. He then began teaching at a school along with another mastermind Abdul Subhan alias Tauqeer. Junaid had studied B Tech at an institute in Muzaffarnagar but had failed in the second year, said the officer. He stayed in Nepal till 2014 until he came in contact with IM co-founder, Riyaz Bhatkal. He then moved to Saudi Arabia and was tasked with raising money for the revival of the outfit.

 

He then returned to India and got in touch with the members of the group. He was attempting to revive the outfit with the help of Subhan who was arrested recently. However, when he was scheduled to meet a contact in Uttar Pradesh, he was arrested, added the NIA spokesperson.

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