The Elusive Terror Mastermind of India’s Mujahideen: A Profile of Ahmed Siddibaba a.k.a Yasin Bhatkal
The Elusive Terror Mastermind of India’s Mujahideen: A Profile of Ahmed Siddibaba a.k.a Yasin Bhatkal
For over a year, India has been struggling to recuperate from the November 2008 terrorist attacks on the commercial capital Mumbai. In February 2010, the lull was interrupted by a bomb blast masterminded and executed by Ahmed Zarar Siddibaba, a top ranking Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative, which killed nearly 17 people and left over 50 injured. The attack marked the reemergence of a revived and regrouped IM.
Ahmed Siddibaba, (a.k.a. Yasin Bhatkal, Saharukh Khan, Sivanand, and Dr. Imran), is believed to be in charge of the IM terror group since the top leaders of the homegrown terror group have fled to Pakistan and to the Gulf region following countrywide crackdowns. For the first time, Yasin, the IM’s explosive expert, who facilitated terror acts but typically remained in the background, stepped into the limelight during investigations into a series of blasts that hit major urban centers such as Delhi, Bangalore, and Ahmadabad in 2008. He was identified by two arrested IM operatives, Mohammed Saif and Akbar Ismail Chaudhary, who revealed Yasin’s bomb-making expertise to their interrogators as well as his alliance with two fugitive IM founders. [1]
Various interrogation accounts confirmed Yasin’s role in at least five major terror events in India since early 2010, including Pune’s Germany Bakery blast (February 13, 2010) and the serial blasts in Mumbai (July 13, 2011). According to Delhi police investigations, Yasin along with a Pakistani national Muhammad Adil and Indian Mujahideen militant Qateel Siddiqui, who were both arrested in May last year, carried out the terror strike outside Jama Masjid, ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games to avenge the Batla House encounter. [2] The probe is ongoing to find Yasin’s role in the Delhi High Court blasts that occurred on May 25 and September 7, 2011.
Yasin was born on January 15, 1983, in the port town of Bhatkal in the Uttar Kannada district in Karnataka, according to the Interpol/Central Bureau of investigation watch list. [3] As per his mother Rehana and other relatives’ account, Yasin had been involved in his father’s garment business in Dubai. He left the business due to differences with his father over his radical world view (Indian Express, January 24, 2012).
In early December last year, Delhi police has announced a cash reward of INR 15 lakh ($26,730) for any information on Yasin Bhatkal which leads to his arrest. Earlier to that Yasin managed to escape arrest during raids in Delhi and Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and continues to evade arrest. [4]
If intelligence agencies are to be believed, Yasin Bhatkal invested funds meant for Jihadi causes in the realty sector. He reportedly invested Rs 14 lakh ($25,000) in a project under construction in Nalasopara, Mumbai. It is not clear however whether he invested the money to generate funds for future terror activities or to nurse his own ambition to get rich (Times of India, July 16, 2012). One IM operatives who has been arrested, identified as Kamal Hassan, belongs to the Bihar chapter of IM. Hassan confessed to have met Yasin early this year in New Delhi. According to the detained operative, Yasin is on a recruitment drive across the country, looking to float smaller groups who can help him garner a supply of fake Indian currency notes and commit other subversive activities around the country. Yasin was arrested once in a fake currency case by the West Bengal police, but they did not recognize him as IM’s chief and eventually set him free (Mumbai Mirror, February 05, 2012).
India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB) believes that one Fasih Mehmood, who is now in Saudi Arabia’s custody for his IM links, was closely associated with Yasin back in India (Asian Age, Jul 17, 2012). As part of the Bihar chapter of IM, both Fasih and Yasin masterminded the bomb blast at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and the shooting of Taiwanese tourists at Jama Masjid, Delhi in 2011. IB also suspects that Fasih had been in constant touch with Yasin from Saudi Arabia and arranged funds for the IM’s activities in India (Daily News and Analysis, July 11, 2012).
Over the past couple of years, India’s intelligence agencies have tracked down the IM’s different State chapters, especially in Bihar, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. It was learnt from the interrogation reports that in the aftermath of Batla House encounter (September 2008), Yasin was asked by his Pakistan-based mentors and fugitive IM leaders to exploit the Bihar chapter for reengaging the already indoctrinated IM foot soldiers there for subversive activities. While in charge of the Bihar chapter (which includes the Samastipur, Darbhanga and Nalanda areas) which is considered to be the oldest of IM’s chapters, Yasin indoctrinated many youths with his pro-Jihadi sermons, distributing Jihadi literatures and audio visual files on mobile phones that revealed atrocities committed against Muslims in the country (e.g. Gujarat riots of 2002) and around the world (e.g. Iraq). Yasin Bhatkal also worked with other IM operatives like Tehseen Akhtar Shaykh and Naqi Ahmed Shaykh to influence and indoctrinate youths for revenge against Indian State.
Conclusion
The bigger question that remains before the security agencies is the whereabouts of Yasin. It is still unclear whether he fled to Karachi, Pakistan or the Gulf states. Many believe that the elusive IM mastermind is still in the country and planning to perpetrate the next big strike. The latest information on his location comes from none other than Lashkar-e-Taiba’s (LeT) Syed Zabihuddin Ansari (a.k.a Abu Jundal). According to Ansari who was in touch with the IM leadership in Karachi and in India, Yasin has fled to Bangladesh with the support of the Pakistan intelligence agency, ISI and is presently hiding there (Deccan Chronicle, July 21, 2012). To note, Ansari also took the Bangladesh route to Pakistan after the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case.
As the investigation into the IM’s secret, multi-layered, pan-India network widens, Yasin’s role as chief of the group is becoming authenticated. It is evident now that he donned many hats for the IM, ranging from motivator, recruiter, bomb-maker, logistic provider to making target surveillance and selection, and is responsible for the IM’s revival. Arguably, Yasin has placed himself as number three in the IM’s hierarchy following Riyaz Shahbandri and Iqbal Shahbandri who are both known for vital roles in reinvigorating Indian Mujahideen as a deadly homegrown terror entity.
Notes
1. “After Bhatkal brothers, Yasin could be IM’s top man for operations,” Indian Express, December 01, 2011.
2. An encounter between Delhi police and IM terrorists took place in Batla House area in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar on 19 Sept 2008, a week after the serial blasts in the National capital. Two IM operatives identified as Atif Amin and Mohamed Sajid were killed and two others were arrested in the encounter. Further investigations led to arrest of many local Muslim youths which caused widespread resentment within the community and civil society groups. However, the government has confirmed that the encounter was genuine and ruled out reopening of the case in any court of law. IM terrorists have carried out a shoot out at the historic Jama masjid on the two year anniversary of the encounter, injuring two Taiwanese tourists. See, “Batla House encounter: NHRC gives clean chit to Delhi police”, Times of India/PTI, July 22, 2009; Batla House encounter genuine, no further probe: P Chidambaram, Times of India, January 13, 2012.
3. For a brief biography of Yasin Bhatkal, see the ‘Wanted’ page listing of Central Bureau of Investigation, see: https://www.cbi.nic.in/rnotice/A-7752-12-2011.html.
4. A reward of INR 3 lakh was announced in April 2011. However, it was increased to INR 15 lakh subsequently by Delhi police following the interrogation of six IM operatives arrested from different parts of the country. See, “Rs 15 lakh reward for catching elusive IM operative,” Indian Express, December 01, 2011; “Yasin Bhatkal gave slip to cops twice last week”, Asian Age, December 2, 2011.
