HuJI militant arrested in West Bengal

West BengalKolkata, Dec 29: A Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) militant was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal police from Baranagar area of North 24 Parganas district on Saturday.

The militant was identified as Altaf Ansari.

According to CID sources, a raid was carried out on a tip-off by the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh Police to caught Ansari.

The HuJI was launched in 1980 as part of the Pakistan-based Jehad network fighting troops of the then Soviet Union who were deployed in Afghanistan.

It has undergone several changes during the past two decades and spread its area of activities to Jammu and Kashmir, other parts of India and Bangladesh.

HuJI cadres are suspected to be involved in the terrorist attack on the Kolkata office of the United States Information Service (USIS) on January 22, 2002.

Security agencies have also reported that HuJI cadres are linked to the perpetrators of the train arson at Godhra in Gujarat on February 27, 2002. (ANI)