Indian link: FBI turns to Indian sleuths seeking crucial leads

DALIP SINGH

NEW DELHI , SEPTEMBER 18: THE list of suspects in Tuesday’s attack on the US who have links with India is growing and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has approached India seeking the whereabouts of some of them.

Ibrahim Athar, one of the hijackers of Indian Airlines IC-814, is one of the persons the FBI has contacted India about. They had asked for details of Athar, brother of Azhar Masood, one of the three militants swapped for 157 hostages of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight. Athar is believed to be hiding in Pakistan.

The FBI wanted to know if the Indian government would be able to provide them with the samples of Athar’s fingerprints and other facts which could establish his identity. The CBI, however, has only his stamp-size photograph.

Indian officials feel the Americans are apprehensive of Athar due to his links with the Taliban. Also, Athar’s brother Azhar Masood, who now heads Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based and Taliban-backed outfit, is actively involved in waging proxy-war in Kashmir.

Officials feel Masood has close ties with the Taliban as the religious head of Jama Masjid in Binnauri town of Pakistan is believed to be his spiritual guru as well as that of Maulana Mullah Omar — the Taliban chief.

The CBI had asked Pakistan to extradite Athar along with Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Sahid Syed Akhtar, Shakir, Yusuf Azhar and Abdul Rauf last year. Prior to this, the Interpol had issued Red Corner Notices against them.