Police knew of terror training camp

Kottayam: The Kerala police yesterday said it had begun investigations two months back into a training camp organised in December 2007 by the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India (Simi) in Kottayam district.

After the alleged Ahmedabad blasts mastermind Mufti Abdul Bashr's arrest on Saturday, the Gujarat police had said the Simi activists behind the July 26 bombings were trained at Wagamon in Kottayam. But police say that they knew about the camp earlier.

"In June, we had registered a case and started investigating into the training camp conducted in December. Two Simi activists, natives of Eerattupetta near Wagamon, who took part in the training camp were arrested in Madhya Pradesh. We also know about one more Keralite who took part in the camp," Superintendent of Police A.M. Mathew Policarp said. The place where the training camp was held is known as Thangalpara, a rocky terrain accessible only by foot. It is also a pilgrim centre and a tourist spot.

Two Simi activists, natives of Eerattupetta - Abdul Shibly, a computer engineer, and his brother Shaduli - were arrested in Indore in Madhya Pradesh last March.

"It may be at their instance that Simi organised their camp at Wagamon. The Kerala police intends to question them to get details about their activities here," the official said.

Isolated incident

Policarp said police found it strange that those who attended the training camp had scribbled 'Simi' on a rock at Thangalpara. "They scribbled it as though they wanted people to notice their activities."

Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had also said on Saturday night that the Simi camp having been organised in Wagamon was not new information. He stressed that it was an isolated incident and did not mean that Kerala was turning into a training zone for terrorists.

Police officials say that Eerattupetta is a Simi stronghold and the National Democratic Front is a rightwing Muslim organisation.

Wagamon is on the border of Kottayam and Idukki district, a major tourist destination.

"We are keeping a close watch on people visiting the district. The forest cover and the hilly terrain could be the reason why they selected the spot for the training camp," said Superintendent of Police S.K. Chellappan.

The July 26 serial blasts in Ahmedabad killed 55 people and injured more than 150.

Custody: Police remand

Nine activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India (Simi) arrested by the Gujarat police in connection with the July 26 Ahmedabad bombings were yesterday sent to police remand.

The nine were presented before the metropolitan magistrate, who remanded them in police custody of 14 days, the maximum allowed for the police under the law.

The tenth arrested man, Mufti Abu Bashr, who is said to the mastermind behind the conspiracy, was brought from Uttar Pradesh to Ahmedabad on a three-day transit remand but he was yet to be produced before a court.

The nine people sent to the Gaekwad Haveli police station here are: Sajid Mansuri, Zahid Shaikh, Yunus Mansuri, Shamsuddin Shaikh, Arif Kagzi, Gyasuddin, Imran, Usman Agarbattiwala and Iqbal Shaikh.