New Delhi: A nationwide manhunt has been
launched to nab a Kashmiri journalist who is alleged to be an
accomplice of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Bashir Ahmed Baba
alias "Pepsi bomber", arrested by Gujarat police recently.
Teams of central security agencies have been sent to help
police nab the journalist, who is alleged to have provided
support to Baba several times, official sources said on Tuesday.
The scribe used his contacts and allegedly helped Baba to
work in the guise of an NGO worker and set up base in Gujarat,
they said.
The journalist is said to have played a crucial role in
helping Baba in sending youths to Pakistan for terror training
besides helping the Hizbul militant to conduct recce of key
sites including the ISRO facility in Gujarat.
Central security agencies have learnt the journalist used
his links to help Baba identify youths in Gujarat who were
sympathetic to jihad and were willing to get training to carry
out espionage operations for Pakistan-based terror groups, the
sources said.
The role of the journalist surfaced when Baba was being
monitoring and after a reference to his name was made.
Following Baba's arrest by Gujarat ATS, the agencies have
now shifted attention on to journalist, who has gone
underground, they said.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 18:27