Bengaluru, Nov 13 (IANS) The police grilled a man, whom they said was a former terrorist, for more than two hours in Karnataka’s Tumakuru on Thursday in connection with the November 10 car blast in Delhi, which claimed 12 lives.

According to police, the former terrorist, Mujahid, was questioned by Additional SP Purushottam at the Tilaknagar police station.

After questioning, the police released him. Mujahid faced charges of organising a meeting for a terror organisation. He was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) earlier and sent to Tihar Jail in Delhi. He had come out after being in prison for six years, police said.

He is now residing at PS Colony in Tumakuru, police said.

The police further stated that he was grilled in connection with the Delhi blasts, and only after it was confirmed that he had no role to play in the terror act, he was released.

Further details were awaited.

At present, the Karnataka NIA team is on high alert.

It is suspected that the main planner or mastermind of the Delhi blast might have links or connections in Bengaluru. The NIA officers, who are already questioning some suspects in custody, are now trying to find out whether there is any evidence or information connecting the Bengaluru network to the blast.

NIA teams in Karnataka have become actively involved in the investigation to uncover any possible link between the Delhi blast and individuals or activities in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka, said sources here.

The authorities are also suspecting the link between this case and Abdur Rahman, aka Dr Brave, who was arrested in Karnataka’s Bengaluru on August 17, 2020.

As a student of MBBS at Bangalore Medical College and a resident of Basavanagudi in Bengaluru, Dr Brave got radicalised listening to the online lectures of hard-line Islamic preachers, including ‘Anwar Awlaki’. Subsequently, he came into contact with other radicalised youth and travelled to Syria in December 2013 and participated in various terrorist activities of ISIS.

On returning to India, he continued to remain closely associated with the ideology of ISIS and was in regular contact with the terror elements of ISIS in India and abroad. Utilising his knowledge of Ophthalmic Lasers and Medical Science, he made efforts to develop applications for medical and military equipment of ISIS. He was contacting ISIS ideology promoter Jahanzaib Sami through a messaging platform named ‘Threema’. The NIA had investigated the case of the Islamic State – Khorasan Province registered at New Delhi under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

–IANS

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