L A T E S T      N E W S

Key 26/11 terrorist arrested

New Delhi: After tracking him for more than three years, security agencies have arrested Sayed Zabiuddin alias Abu Hamza, alleged Lashker-e-Taiba ultra and the Hindi tutor of 10 terrorists who carried out the audacious attack in Mumbai in 2008.

The 30-year-old Ansari alias Abu Jindal, who hails from Georai area of Beed district in Maharashtra, was arrested on June 21 when he arrived in India from a Gulf country, official sources said on Monday.

India had also secured an Interpol Red Corner notice against him in which he was accused of crimes involving the use of weapons, explosives and terrorism.

With his arrest, the mysterious voice recorded during the conversation between 10 Lashker terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan has been identified, the sources said.

According to the officials associated with the probe, Ansari had told Lashker terrorists carrying out attack in Nariman House to convey to the media that the "attack was a trailer and the entire movie was yet to come".

The voice was that of Ansari and after this his activities were traced before he was finally nabbed in a Gulf country, according to officials.

In the intercepted tapes, Ansari was also heard using typical Hindi words like "prashasan" (government) and was directing the terrorists to conceal their Pakistani identity and identify themselves from Deccan Mujahideen hailing from Toli Chowk in Hyderabad.

His presence was also stated by Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the Mumbai attack, in his deposition before a special court. He told the court that one person by the name of Abu Jindal had tutored 10 terrorists on how to speak Hindi.

Missing since 2005, Ansari, who had undergone training at Indian Technical Institute in Beed, had a sudden rise in the ranks of Lashker-e-Taiba after he was indoctrinate by banned SIMI post Gujarat riots in 2002.

The Central security agencies had quizzed many arrested terrorists to study the case of Ansari during which it came to light that he had been operating out of terror camps in Karachi and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and was a key figure in the terror group's plan to carry out the strikes in the country's hinterland.

Pranab failed as FM: Sangma

Amritsar: BJP-backed Presidential poll candidate PA Sangma today targeted Finance Minister and UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee for the economic slowdown.

"If the rupee is at an all-time low, if the international rating for credit has been downgraded, (there is) so much of corruption, who is responsible...?" he asked.

Mr Sangma, who is supported by the BJP, the AIADMK and the BJD, was talking to reporters in Amritsar during a visit to the Golden Temple"You see individually, it is the Finance Minister who is responsible for price rice, for corruption, for devaluation of money and (the issue of bringing back) black money... collectively the Prime Minister and his cabinet, but individually it is the Finance Minister's responsibility," he said.

Mr Sangma, who is pinning hopes on a "conscience vote" and his tribal identity, has virtually dared Mr Mukherjee for a debate ahead of the Presidential poll, saying democracy needs debate on the current economic scenario.

The Congress has, however, dismissed as a "non-starter" Mr Sangma's challenge to Mr Mukherjee for a debate.

"The Constitution does not ordain or mandate that the President of India manages the economy of the country. Therefore, the suggestion for the debate is non sequitur (a statement that does not logically follow the previous statement) and non-starter," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari has said.

Taliban attacks Pak military posts

Islamabad: Over 100 Taliban fighters crossed over from Afghanistan and attacked military posts in Upper Dir area of northwest Pakistan, triggering clashes that left eight soldiers and 15 militants dead, officials said today.The Taliban launched the attack late last night and killed at least eight soldiers, Pakistani military officials were quoted as saying by CNN.Fifteen Taliban fighters were killed in the exchange of fire that followed the attacks in Upper Dir district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said the Afghan Taliban carried out the attacks.

The Pakistani Taliban helped with reconnaissance and information before the attack, Ehsan told.At least five Pakistani soldiers were reported missing after the clashes, The Express Tribune reported on its website.Authorities had lost communications with a patrolling party that was attacked, an unnamed official told the newspaper.There was no official word in this regard.

The attacks were the latest in a series of cross-border assaults from regions in eastern Afghanistan where US troops began pulling out last year.Similar cross-border attacks by the Taliban killed dozens of Pakistani soldiers last year and increased tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.On Friday, at least one soldier was killed and two others were injured when Taliban fighters from Afghanistan attacked a check post in Upper Dir.

Fire breaks out at Kashmir shrine

Srinagar: A fire broke out at the more than century old shrine of Dastageer Sahib in the Khanyar area of the city, officials said.

Fire tenders have been rushed to the spot to bring the blaze under control at the shrine that is mostly made up of wood, they said.

Police and locals are also assisting in the operation, officials added.