American Center

The terror strikes in Mumbai will delay the transfer of Sadaquat, who had allegedly fired 69 rounds at policemen guarding the American Center in January 2002, to Calcutta.

Law enforcement agencies in Mumbai are not ready to hand over the founding member of Indian Mujahideen, who is now in custody of Gujarat police, to the city police immediately.

“We wanted to bring Sadaquat to Calcutta after receiving a specific terror alert from the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau (SIB). But Mumbai police told us that they would take him into custody since his arrest might have triggered the terrorist attacks in Mumbai,” said a senior city police officer.

“It is important to question Sadaquat to find out whether any Indian Mujahideen terrorist is holed up in the city, especially in view of the terror alert,” said a Special Task Force (STF) officer in Calcutta.

Sadaquat, in his mid-30s, is believed to be close to Aftab Ansari, the mastermind of the American Center attack and the abduction of Khadim’s boss Partha Pratim Roy Burman.

Sadaquat, who might have been involved in the abduction, was among the 20 picked up in Mumbai on September 24 in connection with the serial blasts in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Surat.

A team of STF officers from the city, including special additional commissioner Rajeev Kumar, went to Mumbai and interrogated Sadaquat. He confessed to firing at policemen outside American Center, said the interrogators.