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Human bomb targeting Advani in Coimbatore arrested

On the heels of the arrest of seven key militants at Rajahmundry last week, the Tamil Nadu Crime Branch has nabbed Amanullah Khan, head of the seven-member suicide squad assigned to eliminate Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Kishenchand Advani, now Union home minister, during his visit to Coimbatore to address an election meeting on February 14 last, near erode this morning.

Amanullah was the 'amir ' (head) of the suicide squad which had set out, with 'belt and throw-type' bombs, from a ' kabristan ' (burial site) of 18 persons killed in the communal riots which had taken place in November-December last year.

He had been armed with a 'belt bomb' meant to blow up the dais from which Advani was to address the meeting at R S Puram in Coimbatore.

But Amanullah could not penetrate the security cordon to reach the Dais, and the meeting itself was cancelled in the wake of the serial Blasts which had rocked the city minutes before the BJP leader was to address the meeting. Over sixty persons had been killed in the blasts and more than 250 injured.

Amanullah was the lone member of the suicide squad who had managed to evade the police dragnet. Four others member were arrested by the police, while two others were killed in the serial blasts. The Tamil Nadu government had announced a reward of Rs 200,000 for information leading to his arrest.

With today's arrest, the total number of militants secured for their involvement in the blasts has risen to 177. Only 10 more militants are yet to be nabbed, the police said.

UNI

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