India’s Most Wanted

One of India's most wanted terrorists was arrested in Kenya.

NEW DELHI: Abdul Karim Tunda, one of India's top terrorists, was arrested on Friday by the Kenyan police in the port city of Mombassa on the basis of an Interpol alert.

Though yet to be announced, the arrest was confirmed by sources. A relieved New Delhi, reeling under the impact of Mumbai serial blasts, will seek the deportation of Tunda who came to be regarded as the "Delhi bomber" after carrying out 41 low-intensity blasts across the capital, killing 24 and maiming scores of innocents in the late 90s.

Sought after by different jehadi outfits for his expertise in swiftly assembling IEDs which could go off on their own, Tunda is expected to provide valuable inputs for counter-terror agencies.

Tunda is on the list of 20 dreaded terrorists India has asked Pakistan to hand over.A native of Pilkhuwa, a small town near Hapur famous for its handlooms, he earned the nickname Tunda after one of his hands was blown up while making bombs. The close shave, however, failed to dull his passion for bombs.

Though the terrorist started off as an operative of the Deobandi Harkat-ul- Ansar, he was increasingly collaborating with Lashkar-e-Taiba whose commander in India, Azam Cheema, was said to be impressed with his bomb-making skills.

One bit of disturbing news in the story:

Intelligence agencies believe Tunda was part of the terror network which recently shifted to Kenya and other countries in East Africa from Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

Expectations of help from the hard line Islamic regime in Sudan are believed to be one of the reasons encouraging the movement of terrorists towards Africa.

It appears that Africa is destined to be a battleground in the war on terror.

Other Links to this Post

1. And Rightly So! » Kenya, the new Brazil? — Friday, 21 July , 2006 @ 9:14 pm

2. Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » Update On Terrorist Arrested In Kenya — Saturday, 22 July , 2006 @ 2:18 pm