Chennai, 12 July (H.S.) : The Tamil Nadu police's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested Abubakkar Siddique, the state's most-wanted militant and explosives expert, after a three-decade-long manhunt. Siddique, a 60-year-old native of Nagoor, was apprehended from his hideout in Annamayya district, Andhra Pradesh, along with another wanted man, Mohamed Ali.

Abubakkar Siddique has been evading the law since 1995 and was wanted in connection with a string of high-profile incidents, including the 1995 bomb blast at the Hindu Munnani office in Chintadripet, Chennai, and coordinated bomb planting at seven locations across Chennai, Trichy, Coimbatore, and Kerala in 1999. He was also involved in the murder of Dr. Arvind Reddy in Vellore in 2012 and a bomb blast near the BJP office in Malleswaram, Bengaluru, in 2013.

The ATS tracked down Siddique based on specific intelligence inputs, which led them to his hideout in Andhra Pradesh. The police seized 16 mobile phones, a laptop, books on C++ and Artificial Intelligence, and 16 kg of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, from his possession. Siddique's arrest marks a significant breakthrough for the Tamil Nadu Police and brings hope for closure in several long-pending, sensitive cases involving terrorism and communal violence.

Siddique is considered a mentor to militants like Bilal Malik, 'Police' Fakruddin, and Panna Islam. He had been providing logistical support to jihadis and had received training in explosives from the notorious militant Imam Ali of the banned outfit Al Umah. The ATS is now investigating the source of Siddique's funding and his connections with other extremist groups.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary