Status of Indian Muslims not as bad as in other countries, no need for jihad, felt top LeT operative Abdul Aziz

Abdul Aziz fought the 'jihadi' war in Bosnia and Chechnya and was more inclined to fight in these areas rather than India.

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New Delhi: Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Abdul Aziz alias Ashrafi alias Giddah, who was arrested by the Telangana Police after his deportation from Saudi Arabia, feels that the 'status of Muslims in India is not as bad as in other countries', a report said on Wednesday.

While expressing his point of view to his handler Mohd Ismail and Pakistani LeT member Salim Junaid, Giddah said, there is no need of jihad in India as the condition of the Muslims in the country is not as bad as in other countries.

According to a report published in 'The Times of India', Giddah, a top jihadi, had said this in 1997, when Ismail and Junaid asked him to wage jihad in India.

According to the report, Giddah also fought the 'jihadi' war in Bosnia and Chechnya and was more inclined to fight in these areas rather than India.

However, he was convinced by director of Saudi-based NGO International Islamic Relief Organisation Sheikh Ahmed to wage war against India over Babri demolition and also paid him Rs 9.5 lakh.

Abdul Aziz, a resident of Babanagar in Jalpally in Telangana, was allegedly involved in two cases pertaining to conspiracy to cause blasts in Hyderabad in 2001 and to cause explosion at Ganesh temple in Secunderabad in 2004.

The hardcore communal element and the LeT operative, conspired to cause explosions in twin cities.

He was arrested in August 2001 and was released on bail in December that year. However, he jumped the bail in August 2003 and had been absconding since then.

Abdul Aziz was deported to India from Jeddah by Saudi authorities. The LeT operative was arrested at Lucknow airport this month by the Uttar Pradesh ATS and Telangana police after he landed by a flight from Jeddah.

In 2005 Saudi authorities had arrested him when he tried to move to Iraq to fight American forces.