Abu Jundal, suspected Lashkar-e- Taiba's (LeT) terrorist and one of the masterminds of 26/11 attacks, today claimed before a Delhi court that the NIA and Maharashtra Police had forced him to sign some documents and blank papers.
Jundal, who is also known as Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari, told this to District Judge I S Mehta after he was produced through video conferencing from Mumbai's Arthur Road jail, where he is presently lodged, in connection with an alleged conspiracy to launch terror strikes in the country, court sources said.
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They said court has fixed the matter for further hearing on January 18.
Scarred forever: Taj Hotel engulfed in flames during the 26/11 terrorist attacks in the city; (insert) Abu Jundal. File Pics
Meanwhile, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) supplied the copy of charge sheet filed against Jundal to his counsel M S Khan.
Jundal was chargesheeted by NIA for offences punishable under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for allegedly attempting to recruit persons through Internet for joining banned outfit LeT and carrying out terror activities in India.
In its chargesheet, the NIA has said that in and around 2005, Jundal along with his associate Kagzi joined LeT and in November 2005, they went to Nepal to meet LeT commander Abdul Aziz and received a three-day training of bomb assembling and IED making from him. It claimed that after returning to India, Jundal fled to Pakistan via Bangladesh and stayed in Karachi and in LeT's headquarters in Muridke. He did three training courses in LeT training camp and came in touch with LeT top operatives, including its chief Hafiz Saeed, Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah.
"Investigation has revealed that A-1 (Ansari) was one of the conspirators in the conspiracy hatched by LeT to carry out violent attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 and he had also played active part in execution of the said conspiracy," it said.
The NIA said in September 2008, Ansari also taught spoken Hindi to the 10 cadres, who carried out terror strike in Mumbai in which 166 people were killed.
"Since the arrest of Ajmal Kasab and subsequent investigations had established the fact that all the attackers were citizens of Pakistan, LeT functionaries further conspired to use Indian youngsters for carrying out future terrorist attacks so as to conceal the actual involvement of LeT in promoting terrorism in India," it said.
In October 2010, Jundal went to Saudi Arabia with the "intention of recruiting persons for terrorist attacks" and in December he returned to Pakistan, the NIA said, adding, he was in the process of recruiting persons for carrying out terror attacks on the instructions of top LeT operatives.
The NIA had lodged a case against Jundal, who was deported by Saudi Arabia in June last year, for allegedly conspiring to launch terror strikes across the country. It had lodged the FIR against him following unearthing of LeT's conspiracy of terror strikes in India.u00a0
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