M A I N   N E W S

We did it, says HuJI
Ajay Banerjee/TNS

The brief email, a copy of which is with The Tribune, has been sent from harkatuljihadi2011@gmail.com and threatens of more such blasts. “We own responsibility of today’s blasts at (the) High Court (in) Delhi. Our demand is that Afzal Guru's death sentence should be repealede (repealed) immediately else we would target major high courts and the Supreme Court of India…” the email read. The Jaish-e-Mohammed militant has filed a mercy petition with President Pratibha Patil. The decision on his clemency is pending, even as the Home Ministry has recommended it be rejected. The email did not come on a letterhead and had no grand quotations, like the emails posted by the Indian Mujah-ideen when it claimed responsibility for the blasts in 2008.

An affiliate of the dreaded Al-Qaida, HuJI is headed by Mumbai attacks suspect Illyas Kashmiri. He is believed to have survived a US drone attack in Pakistan’s Waziristan province some months ago. The United States had banned the outfit one year ago.

The HuJI, which also has a Bangladesh wing, is one organisation that would be “very unhappy” with growing ties between India and Bangladesh, say sources in the investigating agencies.

Indian security agencies suspect that HuJI had been attempting to regroup for the past one month and there were various instances to show that their activities were becoming India-centric.

In the past six months, HuJI has reportedly recruited nearly 200 cadres, mainly from West Bengal. It has “appointed” suicide bombers by paying nearly upto Rs 15 lakh each, say sources.