TWO SUSPECTED TERRORISTS ARRESTED IN MYSORE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 002467 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PGOV PINR ASEC CASC IN SUBJECT: TWO SUSPECTED TERRORISTS ARRESTED IN MYSORE REF: CHENNAI 802 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (SBU) Summary: City police in Mysore, west of Bangalore in the south Indian state of Karnataka, announced the arrest of two Islamic terrorists on October 27. According to the Mysore city police commissioner, the two arrested suspects are Pakistani nationals and members of Al Badr, a Pakistan based terror group that conducts operations on the Indian side of the Line of Control. One of the arrested had entered India illegally, while the other with ethnic ties to neighboring Kerala, had overstayed his visa. A Russian AK 47 automatic and a pistol manufactured in Afghanistan were recovered. In addition, a Thuraya (UAE) satellite phone, a laptop, cell phones and compact disks were seized. The laptop and compact disks purportedly contained phone lists and building plans of Vidhan Soudha, which houses the Karnataka state legislature and state government Secretariat. Other reports indicated that the Mysore campus of IT giant Infosys also may have been a target. The suspects attempted to create false Indian identities by attempting to acquire Indian passports. Karnataka police speculate the two were an advance team sent to establish themselves locally and provide intelligence and logistical support for south India operations of Al Badr and for organizations associated with Al Qaeda. These arrests provide additional evidence that west Punjab and Kashmiri terrorist groups have expanded their focus to include political and economic targets in the Indian heartland, including the prosperous south. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Mysore city police announced the arrest of two suspected terrorists on October 27. The two militants were identified as Fahaad, aged twenty-four, a Pakistani national whose father hailed from Kozhikode in North Kerala, and Mohammed Ali Hussain, also twenty-four and of Kashmiri origin. The two were identified as members of Al Badr, a Pakistan based terrorist group that operates in Indian-administered Kashmir. Hussain is said to have entered India illegally through the porous Indo-Pak border in Kashmir. Fahaad, however, entered India legally on a 45-day visa and stayed on. The two had an extensive network of contacts, which helped them establish themselves in Mysore, Mr. Praveen Sood, Mysore City Police Commissioner told post. ¶3. (SBU) Raids conducted by the Mysore city police on the apartment rented by the accused resulted in the seizure of a Russian AK 47 and a pistol made in Afghanistan, in addition to a Thuraya satellite phone, cell phones, a laptop computer and compact disks. The laptop and compact disks contained telephone lists, a layout of Vidhan Soudha, the area that houses Karnataka's state legislature and Secretariat, and information about the large Infosys campus in SIPDIS Mysore. Karnataka's Additional Director General of Police Internal Security told post that the arrests followed the interception of a satellite phone conversation by the Intelligence Bureau, India's counter-intelligence agency. ¶4. (SBU) Leveraging local contacts and family ties, the two suspects unsuccessfully sought Indian passports. Both bribed local officials to procure false birth certificates and one had assumed the identity of a deceased Muslim. According to Police Commissioner Sood, the two individuals expended large sums in their attempt to acquire passports, but with little success. In the case of Hussain, his inability to speak a word of Kannada despite claiming to be a Mysore resident for a number of years, as well as his physical features raised suspicion among the local police. ¶5. (SBU) Kashmiri Police contacts of Embassy New Delhi reported that both men are known Al Badr terrorists who operated in Kashmir for years. One was responsible for grenade attacks against tourist buses in the spring, while the other was reputedly a source of money for other terrorists operating in the Valley. Kashmiri Police said the arrests were deeply worrying because Al Badr is "more brutal" and "dangerous" and it is especially troubling to them that these terrorists had left Kashmir and were operating on south India. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: Mysore's City Police Commissioner Sood speculates that the two militants were an advanced team sent to establish a base in south India. He believes their efforts to secure Indian identities indicated the two were planning to stay in the country for an extended period. Their mission likely was to assist Al Badr and Al Qaeda operatives with logistics and intelligence. If what the police are saying is true, these arrests provide additional evidence that west Punjabi and Kashmiri terrorist groups have expanded their focus to include political and economic targets in the Indian heartland, including the prosperous south. Mysore is experiencing growth in the number of expatriates -- including Americans -- who go for tourism, and, increasingly, for business. End Comment. CHENNAI 00002467 002 OF 002 ¶7. (U) This message was coordinated with Embassy New Delhi. HOPPER