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Indian Airlines Hijacking - Visual Analysis

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Abdul Latif<br />

Mumbai (India)<br />

Reported as "KingPin" in India<br />

Abdul Latif reportedly trained in Pakistan &<br />

Afghanistan<br />

One of the persons arrested in this<br />

connection, Abdul Latif reportedly underwent<br />

intensive training in camps in Pakistan and in<br />

Afghanistan as per a statement given by the<br />

<strong>Indian</strong> Home Minister in 6 January 2000.<br />

'Chief' Athar<br />

Aeroplane 1<br />

Shaqir ('Shankar')<br />

JAISH-E-MOHAMMED (JEM) PROFILE<br />

Army of Mohammed<br />

Other Names/Aliases:<br />

Jaish-e-Mohammad Mujahideen E-Tanzeem, Mohammed's Army.<br />

JEM changed its name to Tehrik-al-Furqan (TAF) on 7 October 2001<br />

and then to Khadam-e-Islam in 2002 sometime after the group was<br />

banned by the Pakistani Government on 12 January 2002.<br />

Country: Pakistan<br />

Abdul Latif and Athar to Calcutta<br />

Abdul Latif escorted Athar on 1<br />

November 1999 from Mumbai<br />

to Calcutta by air<br />

, to New Jalpaiguri by train and<br />

from there to Kathmandu<br />

(Nepal) by bus<br />

1st November 1999<br />

INSTITUTE OF DEFENCE & STRATEGIC ST<br />

International Centre for Political Violence & Terrorism Research<br />

Nanyang Technological University<br />

Air Tickets purchased<br />

From the data retrieved from the Computers of the Royal Nepal<br />

<strong>Airlines</strong> linked to the travel agents, the investigators found that<br />

on 13 December three passengers had bought their tickets<br />

together from Everest Travels and Tours, located near Nepal<br />

King Birendra's palace for travel on 27 December. Two business<br />

class tickets were brought from the Gorkha Travel Agency on the<br />

same day. However on the same day the journey date for all 5<br />

tickets were advanced to December 24. It was also found that<br />

none of the five had booked any luggage.<br />

13/12/1999 12:00:00 AM<br />

Abdul Latif & Shaqir to Kathmandu<br />

Abdul Latif took Shaqir<br />

('Shankar') by train to<br />

Gorakhpur and further to<br />

Kathmandu by bus.<br />

1st December 1999<br />

Abdul Latif to Kathmandu and return<br />

On 17 December Abdul Latif<br />

flew to Kathmandu and<br />

returned later by train.<br />

17th December 1999<br />

Aircraft takes off<br />

IC-814 takes off for New Delhi<br />

from Tribhuvan International<br />

Airport, over an hour behind<br />

schedule. On board are 178<br />

passengers -- 154 <strong>Indian</strong>s,<br />

eight Nepalese, four Swiss,<br />

four Spaniards, two French, a<br />

Japanese, a Canadian, a<br />

Belgian, an Australian, an<br />

Italian and an American -- and<br />

11 crew. Half an hour later, as<br />

tea is served, five men<br />

announce they have hijacked<br />

the plane.<br />

24/12/1999 4:15:00 PM<br />

Aircraft hijacked<br />

Half an hour after takeoff<br />

as tea is served, five men<br />

announce they have<br />

hijacked the plane.<br />

24/12/1999 4:45:00 PM<br />

Hijackers control passengers<br />

Flies over the city on its way to Lahore.<br />

Passengers have been ordered to keep<br />

their heads bowed and not look at the<br />

hijackers. Men are being brought up front<br />

while women have been ordered to the<br />

rear. Flight reaches Lahore but permission<br />

to land refused. Fuel is running low. Turns<br />

back towards Amritsar.<br />

24/12/1999 w<br />

Maulana Masood Azhar – Amir (Chief) Maulana Mohammad Yousuf Ludhianvi<br />

Maulana Masood Azhar, who comes from a rich land-owning family in Pakistan, received his Islamic education at<br />

Jamia Uloom-i-Islami at the Binori Mosque near Karachi. Binori mosque madrassa was one of the most important<br />

and the most active centers known for imparting military training by serving and retired officers of the<br />

Pakistan Army. Azhar passed the almia (Islamic) examination in 1989. Jamia Islamia had on its rolls Arab<br />

nationals, Sudanese and Bangladeshis, apart from Pakistanis. All of them believed in the Deobandi ideology,<br />

and many were recruited for the Afghan jihad. While at Jamia Islamia Azhar was influenced by the work of<br />

Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM) leaders in the Afghanistan jihad. Azhar met Maulana Fazal-ul-Rahman Khalil, the<br />

Amir (Chief) of the HUM, who invited him to participate in tarbiat (training) at Yavar, in Afghanistan.<br />

Later Rahman asked him to bring out a monthly magazine for the HUM. From around August 1989, Azhar started<br />

bringing out Sada-i-Mujahid (Knock of the Mujahideen) which were distributed free at public meetings and<br />

Friday prayers.<br />

After the formation of the Harkat-ul-Ansar ( HUA)by merging the Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami (HUJI) and HUM in 1994,<br />

Azhar became its general secretary and was told to visit Kashmir to ensure union among the chief commanders of<br />

both outfits in Kashmir, ascertain the ground position, boost morale of cadre, and resolve any differences<br />

between HUJI and HUM. Azhar landed in Delhi by a Bangladesh Biman flight that arrived from Dhaka early on the<br />

morning of 29 January 1994 traveling on a Portuguese passport.<br />

Diverted to Lahore (Pakistan)<br />

Diverted by hijackers towards<br />

Lahore (Pakistan) however Lahore<br />

Airport authorities refused to<br />

permit the aircraft to land.<br />

Maulana Mohammad Yousuf Ludhianvi of the Binori mosque was reportedly “the supreme leader of the JEM,” until his<br />

assassination on 18 May 2000 while Azhar was the Chief Commander. Maulana Ludhianvi was also described as the<br />

Chief Commander of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and a member of bin Laden's International Islamic Front.<br />

It was Maulana Yousuf Ludhianvi, who had organized the hijacking of the <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Airlines</strong> plane to Kandahar to<br />

secure the release of Azhar.<br />

Pakistan allows landing<br />

Pakistan allows landing after<br />

New Delhi makes a request.<br />

Plane is refuelled. Takes off<br />

for Oman. Permission to land<br />

in Muscat refused. Heads for<br />

Dubai, United Arab Emirates.<br />

Aircraft diverted to Amristar (India)<br />

Aircraft diverted to Amristar<br />

(India) where it landed.<br />

Hijackers demanded the<br />

aircraft is refuelled.<br />

Objectives<br />

Unknown "official" orders aircraft is refuelled<br />

Someone who claims he is from the home<br />

ministry orders the air traffic control to refuel<br />

the plane over telephone.<br />

24/12/1999 7:01:00 PM<br />

Jaish-e-Mohammad intends to liberate Kashmir from India and unite it with Pakistan. Its o<br />

the 'destruction' of America and India. Like the HUM, the HUJI and the Lashkar –e-Toiba<br />

and Kashmir as the gateway to India and retains the ambition to liberate Muslims in other<br />

the liberation of Kashmir, in the subsequent phase of its jihad. For this purpose it aims to<br />

of various Kahmiri militant groups. Its agenda on jihad also includes taking control of th<br />

Ayodhya in <strong>Indian</strong> state of Uttar Pradesh, and other religious sites in Amritsar in Punjab a<br />

JEM believes in broadening the struggle by taking the battle to the people of India. Its s<br />

carrying out attacks deep inside India rather than focusing only on Kashmir.


IC STUDIES<br />

search<br />

"official" orders aircraft is refuelled<br />

eone who claims he is from the home<br />

ry orders the air traffic control to refuel<br />

the plane over telephone.<br />

24/12/1999 7:01:00 PM<br />

om India and unite it with Pakistan. Its objectives also include<br />

UM, the HUJI and the Lashkar –e-Toiba (LET), JEM projects Jammu<br />

the ambition to liberate Muslims in other parts of India after<br />

e of its jihad. For this purpose it aims to work for unification<br />

jihad also includes taking control of the Babri Masjid in<br />

er religious sites in Amritsar in Punjab and New Delhi.<br />

g the battle to the people of India. Its strategy also envisions<br />

n focusing only on Kashmir.<br />

Male passengers stabbed, aircraft departs<br />

Cabinet Secreatary calls to advise the plane<br />

should not be refuelled. The hijackers start<br />

stabbing selected male passengers. Rupin<br />

Katyal, a 25-year-old honeymooner, dies.<br />

Plane takes off with fuel for just 30 minutes.<br />

Heading is for Lahore (Pakistan).<br />

24/12/1999 7:06:00 PM<br />

Aircraft departs<br />

Aircraft leaves for<br />

Kabul. Destination<br />

changed to Kandahar<br />

en route.<br />

25/12/1999 8:01:00 AM<br />

History and Development<br />

Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) is a relatively new organisation but has turned out to be amongst the deadliest terrorist outfits<br />

operating in South Asia. JEM was officially launched on 31 January 2000 by Maulana Masood Azhar in Karachi in Pakistan<br />

after he was released by <strong>Indian</strong> authorities as part of the terrorists for hostage swap of 31 December 1999 following<br />

the hijacking of the <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Airlines</strong> Flight 814. Prior to the formation of JEM, Maulana Masood Azhar was the general<br />

secretary of the Harkat-ul-Ansar (HUA) which was formed in 1994 by the merger of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM) and<br />

Harkar-ul-Jihad Islami (HUJI). Azhar was on a mission in Jammu and Kashmir under pseudonym Essa Bin Adam on a Portuguese<br />

passport when he was arrested by the <strong>Indian</strong> security forces. It was HUA, which planned and executed the hijacking of<br />

the <strong>Indian</strong> <strong>Airlines</strong> flight. The hijackers involved were Ibrahim Athar, (brother of Masood Azhar) , Shahid Akhtar Sayed,<br />

Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, Shakir, all from Pakistan. When Azhar was released, the HUA had already<br />

been included in the US list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), which compelled its constituent groups to<br />

resume their pre-merger identities as HUM and HUJI. However, Masood Azhar decided to float a new outfit, primarily<br />

due to differences with Fazlur Rahman Khalil, the chief of HUM, over management of funds. Khalil was also getting<br />

increasingly uncomfortable with Azhar’s strong and virulent anti-Shia tendencies. Azhar announced the formation of<br />

Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) from the Darul Uloom Islamia Binori Town mosque in Karachi, one of the largest religious<br />

seminaries in Pakistan and one of the most influential centres of hard-line Deobandi Sunni Muslim ideology in the<br />

world. Near about three quarters of Harakat ul-Mujahedin (HUM) members defected to the new organization.<br />

The formation of the outfit was endorsed by three religious school chiefs in Pakistan, namely, Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai<br />

THE HIJACKING OF IC - 814<br />

Al Qaeda, Taliban and Pakistani Factor<br />

Aircraft lands at Lahore (Pakistan)<br />

India persuaded the Pakistani authorities to<br />

permit the aircraft to land. The aircraft nearly<br />

crash-landed and was surrounded by Pakistani<br />

commandos. It was refueled and headed for<br />

Kabul<br />

Aircraft refuelled<br />

It was refueled and headed for Kabul. But<br />

because of the lack of night-landing facilities<br />

there, and later, at Kandahar, the plane was<br />

diverted towards Dubai. It finally landed at the<br />

Al-Minhat air force base<br />

Group Affiliations<br />

25 passengers released<br />

. The hijackers demanded food,<br />

medicines and a step ladder. The<br />

UAE officials agreed to negotiate if<br />

the women and children are<br />

allowed to disembark. The<br />

hijackers released 25 passengers,<br />

and allowed the body of Katyal to<br />

be released to the UAE<br />

authorities.<br />

25/12/1999 w<br />

After its formation in January 2000, JEM reportedly became a member of the Army of Islam, a clandestine group<br />

raised in Pakistan with support of the official establishment to fight against the Soviet troops in Afghanistan<br />

during the anti-Soviet jihad. Under this umbrella organization JEM maintained links with Harakat ul-Mujahedin (HUM),<br />

Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) Al Badr, and Al Qaeda.<br />

Jamaat-i Ulema-i Islam (JUI-F)<br />

JUI-F is a mainstream radical and reportedly pro-Taliban political party in Pakistan. JUI-F chief, Maulana Fazlur<br />

Rahaman was a personal friend of Mullah Omar and bin Laden. Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief of JEM maintains extensive<br />

contacts with Maulana Fazlur Rahaman.<br />

Lashkar-e-Omar:<br />

Lashkar-e-Omar is believed to be a clandestine conglomerate of 3 militants groups- Harkar-ul-Jihad Islami (HUJI),<br />

Harkat-ul Mujhahideen (HUM) and JEM which surfaced in 2002 in Pakistan.<br />

Al Qaeda:<br />

JEM leader, Maulana Masood Azhar reportedly fought along with Al Qaeda against the US troops in Somalia in 1994 and<br />

had participated in the training of Al Qaeda's supporters in Yemen. Many of the HUM cadres who joined JEM received<br />

training in the camps set in Afghanistan by Al Qaeda, especially in Rishkhor near Kabul. When the US led coalition’s<br />

Meeting 9<br />

On the morning of 25 December 1999, the<br />

flight took off from Dubai for Afghanistan and<br />

landed at the Kandahar airport at 0855 hrs.<br />

The hijackers demanded the release Mohammad<br />

Masood Azhar along with 35 other jailed<br />

terrorists and US $200 million and that the<br />

body of Harkat-ul-Ansar chief in Jammu &<br />

Kashmir Sajjad Afghani be exhumed and the<br />

coffin be handed over to them for the release<br />

of 154 hostages. Later they dropped their<br />

demands for a $200 million ransom and the<br />

exhumed remains.<br />

25/12/1999 w<br />

Aircraft lands, first demands issued<br />

Lands at 0833. Hijackers make<br />

their first demand. They want<br />

Maulana Masood Azhar, a<br />

militant in <strong>Indian</strong> custody,<br />

released. Erick de Mul, a UN<br />

official based in Islamabad,<br />

flies to Kandahar on a<br />

'humanitarian' mission.<br />

26/12/1999 8:33:00 AM<br />

Area of Operation<br />

Passenger Anil Khurana is released<br />

Anil Khurana, a sick passenger, is released.<br />

26/12/1999 3:41:00 PM<br />

JEM is based in Peshawar and Muzaffarabad, (Pakistan). The group, however conducts terrorist activities and operations<br />

primarily in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The only instance of its operations outside Jammu and Kashmir has<br />

been the 13 December, 2001 attack against the <strong>Indian</strong> Parliament in New Delhi. JEM maintained training camps in<br />

Afghanistan and reportedly ran bases in Azad Kashmir (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir), Pakistan, and India's Doda and southern<br />

regions in Jammu and Kashmir.<br />

JEM maintained offices in Pakistan and in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) and in some areas of Jammu and Kashmir in<br />

India. As per the information compiled by <strong>Indian</strong> intelligence sources, the central office of the JEM, which was earlier<br />

in Islamabad , has now been shifted to Bahawalpur.<br />

Old Address:<br />

House No. 868, I-10/4,<br />

Main Road,<br />

Near Kalid Hospital Stop,<br />

Islamabad.<br />

Ph. No. 051-4432400<br />

New Address:<br />

Plane refuelled.<br />

1621: Afghanistan says it will not<br />

allow any military operation to<br />

rescue hostages. Plane is<br />

refuelled.<br />

26/12/1999 4:21:00 PM<br />

Unknown Associate<br />

in Pakistan<br />

Latif was<br />

instructed to call<br />

London Television<br />

Correspondent<br />

Radio contact with hijackers<br />

An <strong>Indian</strong> diplomat<br />

makes radio contact<br />

with the hijackers.<br />

27/12/1999 1:40:00 PM<br />

Organizational/Command Structure<br />

Jaish-e-Mohammad maintains a centralized hierarchical structure. It has a network of organizing units in v<br />

such as Punjab, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Gujjarkhan etc. The head of the JEM is Amir. There are functional de<br />

the ones responsible for propaganda, Finance, Military Affairs, POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) Affairs an<br />

It has sector commands (different territories organized as sectors) and camps (training/logistics) each ma<br />

commanders.<br />

As per the last available information, the organizational/command system of JEM was structured around th<br />

office bearers located at its headquarters in Pakistan:<br />

Maulana Masood Azhar – Amir (Chief)<br />

Conditions on aircraft<br />

deteriorate<br />

Hostages given<br />

breakfast. Condition<br />

aboard plane, which is<br />

ready for take off but<br />

leaking oil,deteriorates.<br />

27/12/1999 10:12:00 AM<br />

Maulana Qari Mansoor Ahmed – Nazim, Propaganda Wing<br />

Maulana Abdul Jabbar – Nazim, Military Affairs (Former Nazim Military Affairs, (HuM)<br />

Maulana Sajjad Usman – In-charge, Finance (Former HuM Nazim Finance)<br />

Mufti Mohammad Uwais Kashmiri- In-charge POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) Affairs


Radio contact with hijackers<br />

An <strong>Indian</strong> diplomat<br />

makes radio contact<br />

with the hijackers.<br />

27/12/1999 1:40:00 PM<br />

called<br />

arrested<br />

Arrested<br />

arrested<br />

The call was intercepted which led to the arrest in Mumbai<br />

of accomplice Abdul Latif (who received the call),<br />

Mohammed Rehan, Mohammed Iqbal (both Pakistanis)<br />

and Yusuf Nepali, a citizen of Nepal.<br />

arrested<br />

arrested<br />

arrested<br />

Kumar Bhugel<br />

Harkat-ul-Ansar (HUA)<br />

d Structure Financial<br />

Training<br />

Operational<br />

It has a network of organizing units in various provinces<br />

the JEM is Amir. There are functional departments such as<br />

K (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) Affairs and publications.<br />

) and camps (training/logistics) each manned by launching<br />

system of JEM was structured around the following prominent<br />

itary Affairs, (HuM)<br />

Finance)<br />

14<br />

tors<br />

ied Kashmir) Affairs<br />

Hijackers threaten to kill<br />

hostages<br />

<strong>Hijacking</strong> date advanced 3<br />

days<br />

Hijackers threaten to<br />

kill hostages if their<br />

demand is not met by<br />

1234 hours.<br />

27/12/1999 11:34:00 AM<br />

The date of the<br />

hijacking originally<br />

planned for 27<br />

December was<br />

advanced by three<br />

days.<br />

27/12/1999 12:00:00 PM<br />

Hjijackers deadline<br />

The deadline<br />

passes without<br />

incident.<br />

27/12/1999 12:34:00<br />

PM<br />

Source of Supply:<br />

<strong>Indian</strong> Officials arrive Kandahar.<br />

<strong>Indian</strong> officials arrive in<br />

Kandahar.<br />

27/12/1999 6:32:00 PM<br />

Direct negotiations with<br />

hijacker commence<br />

They begin their first<br />

direct talks with the<br />

hijackers, which<br />

continue into the<br />

early hours of<br />

Tuesday.<br />

27/12/1999 10:56:00 PM<br />

Most of the JEM's material resources (weapons etc) have been drawn from the militant groups Harakat ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI)<br />

and the Harakat ul-Mujahedin (HUM). Most of the JEM's cadre belonged to Harakat ul-Jihad al-Islami (HUJI) and the Harakat<br />

ul-Mujahedin (HUM).<br />

India has claimed that Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence pays JEM militants, with the recruits being paid approximately<br />

$8,500 - $10,630 over a two-year period, half of which is paid in advance to a recruit's family, with the rest collected<br />

upon completion of contract. Pakistan, however had denied such charges.<br />

Al Rasheed Trust, one of the many ostensibly humanitarian relief organizations, which received extensive financial backing<br />

from some Western and Saudi intelligence agencies during the Afghan jihad was suspected to be a funding source for the group.<br />

The Al-Rasheed Trust is based in Karachi, Pakistan, and was originally set up as a welfare organisation. In the 1980s,<br />

it was co-opted to channel Saudi Arabian funds to Afghan mujahideen. The trust paid compensation to the families of those<br />

killed in the Afghan 'jihad'. After the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, the Trust's focus shifted to Kashmir in India<br />

to finance insurgency in that state. When Maulana Masood Azhar was released in December 1999, he was put in charge of<br />

handling the Trust's assets. Though Azhar maintained the Trust's links with the Taliban, he expanded the concept of jihad<br />

to include Kashmir. The Trust has openly funded Kashmiri mujahideen and paid compensation to their families.<br />

Telephone calls from hijacked aircraft lead to arrests<br />

On 29 December, the hijackers contacted one of their associates in Pakistan who in<br />

turn called a Mumbai (India) number. The accomplice in Mumbai was told to inform a<br />

television correspondent in London to put out the news that the plane would be blown<br />

up if the demands were not met. The call was intercepted which led to the arrest in<br />

Mumbai of accomplice Abdul Latif (who received the call), Mohammed Rehan,<br />

Mohammed Iqbal (both Pakistanis) and Yusuf Nepali, a citizen of Nepal. Latif apparently<br />

was the kingpin at the <strong>Indian</strong> end, having escorted 'Chief' Athar on 1 November 1999<br />

from Mumbai to Calcutta by air, to New Jalpaiguri by train and from there to<br />

Kathmandu (Nepal) by bus. Exactly a month later he took Shaqir ('Shankar') by train to<br />

Gorakhpur and further to Kathmandu by bus. Then on 17 December he flew to<br />

Kathmandu and returned later by train. The date of the hijacking originally planned for<br />

27 December was advanced by three days.<br />

29/12/1999 12:00:00 PM<br />

Military Capability<br />

Hijackers reduce demands<br />

India begins fourth round<br />

of negotiation.<br />

Hijackers drop demand for<br />

money and return of slain<br />

militant's body.<br />

29/12/1999 4:06:00 PM<br />

Mohammed Rehan<br />

Pakistani<br />

Mohammed Iqba<br />

Pakistani<br />

Yusuf Nepali<br />

Nepalese<br />

allegedly<br />

supplied<br />

weapons<br />

JEM has several hundred armed cadres located in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, (POK), and in India's southern Kashmir and Doda regions.<br />

Following Maulana Masood Azhar's release from detention in India, three quarters of Harakat ul-Mujahedin (HUM) members reportedly<br />

defected to the new organization. JEM has also managed to attract a large number of urban Kashmiri youth from <strong>Indian</strong> state of<br />

Jammu and Kashmir. Its cadre also include Afghans and Arab veterans of the Afghan war. The group uses light and heavy<br />

machineguns, assault rifles, mortars, improvised explosive devices, and rocket grenades. As revealed from many of its high<br />

profile attacks, i.e. October 2001 attacks against the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and December 2001 attacks against<br />

the <strong>Indian</strong> Parliament, the group is capable of planning, coordinating and executing operations involving sensitive and even<br />

highly protected targets. This has been a factor of the level of training that the group members received in Afghan Training camps.<br />

The group appears to be well versed in using modern information systems like mobile/satellite phones, Internet etc for communication.<br />

In a statement issued in Srinagar on 4 February 2002, a JEM spokesperson asserted that the group has in its possession as much<br />

ammunition as was required to fight against India for next five years.<br />

<strong>Indian</strong> security forces believe that the JEM, with its small but committed network, was capable of daring attacks both under<br />

day and night conditions.<br />

Afroz<br />

Account in Bombay<br />

user of<br />

Negotiations almost breakdown<br />

"Intense round" of direct talks nearly<br />

breaks down completely. Additional Taleban<br />

troops surround plane. But talks are<br />

resumed later.<br />

Another sick hostage is released. He<br />

returns to plane after treatment.<br />

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh<br />

says talks are "extremely delicately<br />

poised."<br />

30/12/1999 2:00:00 AM<br />

Afroz receives flight training<br />

Afroz clocked 100 hours of flying in the<br />

southern city of Melbourne in Australia<br />

on a single engine twin-seat Cessna<br />

152 and Piped Warrior 28 planes<br />

between August 1997 and 1998. He<br />

returned to Bombay in 1998.<br />

<strong>Indian</strong> investigators believe that Afroz's<br />

family was too poor to pay for the more<br />

than $100,000 in fees needed for the<br />

classes. They believe that the cost of<br />

Afroz's training in Melbourne was borne<br />

by the Student's Islamic Movement of<br />

India (SIMI) SIMI a banned <strong>Indian</strong><br />

group linked to many high profile<br />

attacks in India<br />

Maulana Mansur Ilyas<br />

ANZ Grindlays Bank account in New Delhi<br />

sent<br />

US $ 20000<br />

Investigators also traced remittance of<br />

about a million <strong>Indian</strong> rupees (about US $<br />

20000) to Afroz's account in Bombay from<br />

an ANZ Grindlays Bank account in New<br />

Delhi.<br />

received<br />

Hijackers leave airport in vehicle<br />

Though India accused that all the hijackers were<br />

Pakistanis and went back to Pakistan after they were<br />

released from the custody of the Taliban, Pakistan had<br />

vehemently refuted the charges. Reappearing in Karachi<br />

Massod Azhar gave an account of what happened after<br />

the vehicle carrying the hijackers, the three freed<br />

prisoners and a hostage from Afghanistan's ruling<br />

Taliban militia left Kandahar airport on December 31.<br />

"The hijackers said, 'You don't know us. We have never<br />

met. We are from India, and we respect you and admire<br />

you but we cannot take off our masks." Azhar also said<br />

that all three including Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, and<br />

Ahmed Umar Saeed Sheikh, crossed together into<br />

Pakistan from Afghanistan. But the hijackers released<br />

the Taliban hostage -- taken to guarantee their safe<br />

passage out of the airport -- and said they were<br />

returning to India. Azhar asserted that the hijackers<br />

were <strong>Indian</strong> citizens from Kashmir.<br />

31/12/1999 12:00:00 AM<br />

Afroz meets with Ilyas<br />

While in Australia, Afroz regularly<br />

met with Maulana Mansur Ilyas, the<br />

leader of the Verribia Islamic Centre<br />

in the Victoria State. Security<br />

agencies believe Ilyas to be Al<br />

Qaeda's regional leader in Australia.<br />

JEM cadres were mostly trained in Madrassas in Pakistan known for imparting military training by serving and retired officers of the<br />

Pakistan Army. Many of its members were also trained by Al-Qaeda and related organizations in Afghanistan. JEM chief Massod<br />

Azhar himself received training in Yemen with Al Qaeda members in 1994. JEM reportedly maintained training camps in Afghanistan<br />

during the Taliban regime (Rishkhor for example) until at least June 2000 when its cadres were expelled from Afghanistan by the<br />

Taliban after some of its members were convicted on charges of rape and murder. However, there were reports about some of the<br />

JEM cadres being trained in Afghanistan especially persons involved in very high profile missions such as attacks against the<br />

Jammu and Kashmir Legislature in Srinagar and <strong>Indian</strong> Parliament in New Delhi in October and December 2001 respectively. India<br />

has claimed that Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) recruits and trains terrorist belonging to groups such as the JEM<br />

before dispatching them across the line of control (LoC)<br />

Ideology<br />

According to <strong>Indian</strong> intelligence sources, JEM cadres were being trained in camps located at Kahuta, Hazira, Rawalkot JEM in is Pakistan an extremely militant and vio<br />

and Palandri opposite Poonch, Aliabad, Putwal and Sialkot opposite Jammu, Zaffarwal, Dudhniyal and Kel opposite the from Kupwara India and its union with Paki<br />

sector and in camps north of the Kargil area in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India.<br />

from Jammu and Kashmir. It is poli<br />

a mainstream political grouping un<br />

JEM operated a large training camp at Balakot in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), in Pakistan, run by Yousuf, is reflected a christain from its predisposition t<br />

convert from Sindh province I Pakistan who is married to Azhar’s sister, to impart training in batches of 800-1000 trainees. and stay away from education. In p<br />

but to stay away from un-Islamic w<br />

Recruits from Malaysia and possibly Singapore were believed to have been trained in the offices of the Jaish-e-Mohammad cutting in hair the and against cooperating<br />

Binori madrassa complex in Karachi<br />

As Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of<br />

According to a report prepared by Pakistani intelligence in early 2003, the JEM military training camps in Batrasi andJammu<br />

and Kashmir. We have lakhs<br />

Syed Ahmad Shaeed in Manshera and Balaskots were still functional and running even after the group was banned in freedom January struggle 2002. by adopting such<br />

struggle of Kashmiris and we thus<br />

so we would not stop Jihad at any<br />

Ideological Keywords<br />

Politico-religious and, irredentist , A

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