New Delhi, October 14
Al Qaida, the group responsible for the 9/11 attack on New York’s World Trade Center, and which had no reported presence in India till now, has apparently joined hands with Indian terror outfits like the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) to plan a series of bombings in the country during the festival season, top officials with access to intelligence inputs have warned.

The two groups - one a global militant organisation founded by Osama bin Laden and the other a home-grown Indian outfit - were found to have joined forces when investigators discovered their roles in the recent Burdwan and Bijnor bombings.

Al Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri announced on September 4 the forming of its group’s wing in the country, by promising the need to spread Islamic rule across the “Indian subcontinent”.

With the erstwhile IM now having no presence in India, Al Qaida looked for a new partner and found it in SIMI.

“The role of Al Qaida and SIMI came to light during the Burdwan and Bijnor bomb blasts last month,” said a top official. Another official said: “Al Qaida and SIMI wanted to conduct bombings on Dussehra and Eid-ul-Adha in October.”

However, the accidental blast in Burdwan put paid to the terrorists’ bombings plan. “But Diwali might be on their radar,” the official said. - IANS