Man suspected of plotting serial Gujarat, Delhi blasts arrested in India

Delhi Police arrested Abdul Subhan Qureshi, the man suspected of being involved in the serial blasts in Delhi and Gujarat in 2008, following a tip-off and a gun battle on Saturday night.

Qureshi, labeled as the Osama Bin Laden of India, is allegedly the top bomb maker of the Indian Mujahideen.

According to the Hindustan Times, Qureshi was a quiet boy in school but began his journey as an extremist in 2001 after leaving a reputable computer firm to be involved with religious activities and edit Islamic Voice, the mouthpiece of the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) which is banned in the country.

After the arrest of the group’s general secretary in 2008, Qureshi held the top rank in SIMI a Delhi Police officer said.

Qureshi, 45, appeared on the list of wanted terrorists after the Mujahideen group sent out emails claiming responsibility for blasts in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh between 2007 and 2008.

Qureshi has been on the run since, said to live in a hideout in Nepal, the newspaper reported. Upon his arrest, he told police that he fled to Nepal in 2008 through the border in Bihar where he lived until 2015.

Police said that he even managed to create a Nepalese voter’s ID card and passport.

Police officers added that the Mumbai man has six brothers and sisters who are well-educated and not inclined to such activities. Qureshi’s teachers were also shocked at the news and told the Hindustan Times that he was a model student, scoring 76.6% on his secondary school exams.

source: Alarabiya