India said it was in close touch with French authorities over the arrest of terror accused Mohammad Niaz Abdul Rashid,who hails from Tamil Nadu and allegedly associated with SIMI,but insisted that no Indian national had been hired by him. Home Minister P Chidambaram ruled out any immediate move to seek consular access to Rashid,saying India was awaiting the result of the investigations underway by French authorities. Rashid was arrested by French Police along with six other suspected Islamic militants on May 10 and French authorities suspect that he was recruiting volunteers there for joining a Pakistan-based terrorist outfit,Chidambaram told a press conference in New Delhi. "It is reported that Rashid admitted that he was part of a network which is recruiting people for jihad in the Pakistan-Afghanistan region," he said. "Further investigation is underway and we are in close touch with French authorities," he said,adding France is sharing information with India. Asked whether India would seek consular access to Rashid,Chidambaram said "it is too early for all that. Let us see what investigation in France reveals." To a question,he said there is no report yet of Rashid having recruited anyone in India. "He seems to have recruited French nationals of different origins,mostly African origin." Contending that Rashid has been under the radar of Indian intelligence agencies too,Chidambaram said the Mechanical Engineer had reportedly a "militant bent of mind" and had joined a SIMI-affiliated organisation at 21. Chidambaram said Rashid is an educated man and believed to be a mechanical engineer,who is acquainted with technology. "It is stated that at the age of 21,he joined a SIMI-affiliated organisation based in Tamil Nadu. He first arrived in France in 2008. He was already a trained activist with a militant bent of mind," he said. The Home Minister said in a short span of six months,Rashid has been able to set up a nucleus of like-minded people of jehadis in France. "That consist of four French citizens of Moroccan origin,one French national of Turkish origin,one French national of Pakistan origin and two others. He is an Indian nationals based in France and we believe that he went there on an employment visa," he said. Chidambaram said Rashid hails from Trichy district of Tamil Nadu and he was radicalised at a very early age and he found his way to France.
