Seven LeT terrorists charged for Kozhikode bombing

NEW DELHI - The National Investigation Authority (NIA) Monday filed charges in a special Kerala court against seven suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants, including one who was killed in a shootout in Kashmir, for their alleged involvement in the March 3, 2006, twin blasts in Kozhikode city.

Two policemen and a porter were injured in the bomb blasts. The first bomb exploded in a garbage dump at a bus depot and another a little later in a drain.

T. Nazeer, Mohammed Azhar, Abdul Halim, Shafas, Fayiz, PP. Yoosaf - all belonging to Kannur district, Shammi Firoz and Aboobacker Yusuf of Malappuram district were named as “the offenders who hatched the conspiracy to plan, fabricate and explode bombs at two bus stands”.

All the accused have been arrested except Azhar and Yoosaf, who have been declared as proclaimed offenders, while Fayiz was killed in a shootout with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir while crossing the Line of Control.

“Some of these accused are also involved in several anti-national, terror related cases,” a home ministry official said in Delhi.

The blast cases were initially investigated by Kozhikode police and later taken over by Crime Branch CID, Kozhikode.

Taking into consideration the gravity of the incident and its terror angle the central government directed the NIA to take up the probe in 2009.

“The NIA team through systematic investigation completely worked out the cases and booked the perpetrators who wilfully conspired, planned and executed the twin bomb blasts in KSRTC and Moffussil Bus stands of Kozhikode city causing panic, terror and hardship to general public,” the official said.