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American
Center Shootout "Mastermind" Extradited To India
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Malik handcuffed and accompanied by an officer from the Central Bureau of Investigation in New Delhi
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By
IOL South Asia correspondent
NEW
DELHI, Feb. 10 (IslamOnline) – Aftab Ansari, alias Farhan Malik, the main
suspect in the Kolkata shootout case outside the American Cultural Center on
January 22, 2001 was extradited from the UAE to India Saturday evening.
The
attack resulted in the death of five police officers as well as the wounding of
17 people.
The
U.S. denies that that attack was aimed at their office in Kolkata.
Since
then, two suspects have been killed and six people, including three
Bangladeshis, have already been arrested in India. Ansari is also accused of
running a terrorist cell in the eastern state of Bihar. He is based in the Gulf
emirate of Dubai. Reportedly, he was living there with a Pakistani passport
under a false name.
India
and the UAE have had an extradition treaty for the last two years but Ansari is
the first person to be handed over to the Indian authorities.
Disclosing
the arrest of the Kolkata attack suspect, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee said the UAE Government sided with India in his arrest by extraditing
him. Vajpayee said Ansari had fled to Pakistan and from there he took refuge in
the Gulf where he was apprehended, PTI reported.
Interpol
had issued a Red Corner Notice on January 25 against Ansari who allegedly had
claimed responsibility for the attack on the American Center in Kolkata. Ansari
will be produced before a duty magistrate tomorrow and his remand sought in an
arms seizure case before handing him over to Kolkata police.
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