The ATS chief subsequently opted out of the Special Investigation Team for the blast probe citing criticism by Owaisi and has now been transferred out of ATS.

The Malegaon parallel

Since the CBI stepped in, different sets of its investigators have been in and out of Hyderabad chasing different aspects of the case. Others have travelled to West Bengal, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and UP for leads.

“It’s much easier for a central agency like the CBI to conduct a dedicated probe that extends nationwide,” says Harish Kumar Gupta, Hyderabad Joint Commissioner of Police and head of the local special investigation team.

Investigators believe that a group of militants linked to Bangladesh and Pakistan, with the Harkat-ul-Jehadi-Islami and the Lashkar-e-Toiba as prime suspects, carried out the attack with local support.

The motive for the attack, though still a matter of broad conjecture aligned to terrorist objectives in India, is believed to be an attempt to create communal trouble in a city where a large number of Muslims live in peace with the majority Hindus. In terms of linkages to other terror attacks in the country the Mecca Masjid blast bears close resemblance to the September 8, 2006 blasts in the communally sensitive town of Malegaon in Maharashtra, in the nature of the bombs used and the modus operandi involved.

Both attacks occurred on a Friday, around prayer time at mosques, and involved bombs with RDX as the key explosive material. While the Hyderabad bombs contained a mix of RDX and TNT, classified as explosives used primarily by the military and terrorists, the Malegaon explosive mix contained ammonium nitrate besides RDX.

... contd.