Do-it-yourself-terror is the latest practice
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It is high time we abandoned notions of “footprints”. A terrorist hides his identity by changing his tactics.
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The German Bakery in Pune after the blast on 13 February 2010. REUTERS
research paper (4 April) "The Fighters of Lashkar-e-Taiba: Recruitment, Training, Deployment and Death" by Combating Terrorism Center, West Point, on 900 biographies of LeT operatives killed between 1989 and 2008 revealed that most of them were well educated. 89% of LeT's recruits were from Punjab. A number of them had family connections with Pakistani defence forces. The paper said that about 3 lakh recruits had received some form of LeT training during the last two decades. Perhaps this should not surprise those who have studied LeT's origin and rise.
Several writers, including Indians, have written about this. I would like to quote Stephen Tankhel's well researched book Storming the World Stage: The Story of Lashkar-e-Taiba (2011): "The group's founders wanted the MDI (Markaz al-Dawa-wal-Irshad) school system to be among Pakistan's best, and so did not wish to compromise access to potential students by using those schools as nothing more than a battlefield feeder ... other graduates went on to become productive members of society in various fields, which increased Lashkar's power and reach in Pakistan." Also: "A sociological profile of 100 Lashkar martyrs found their background was similar to that of low ranking officers in the army."
We have similar experience on our indigenous militants. But we have not done any serious study on them. Till the Indian Mujahideen phenomenon appeared, we did not take into account the domestic jihadi movement. People forget that LeT activist C.A.M. Basheer of Kerala, a postgraduate diploma holder in aeronautical engineering, had organised the 1991 Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) convention in Bombay where Khalistani/SIMI linkage was firmed up with Pakistan's catalytic role. Since then Basheer's name had appeared like a phantom in every terrorist incident including the 1993 blasts, till he was eclipsed by Yasin Bhatkal.
In 2003, Lashkar commander Muhammad Faisal Khan, alias Babu Sultan, visited Kerala with a Basheer aide, then known only as "Yahya" for raising recruits and funds. In February 2008, Yahya Kamakutty, an electrical engineer from Kerala was arrested by Bangalore police for suspected bombing attempts in that state. The same year, a terror cell operating in Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra was unearthed with the arrests of businessman Shibly Peediccal Abdul, engineering graduate Adnan and Raziuddin Nazir. Himayat Baig, who was convicted on 18 April for the Pune "German Bakery" bombing (13 February 2010), which killed 17, had wanted to become a teacher and had even attended a diploma course till LeT/SIMI subverted him.
The Boston Marathon (15 April) and Bangalore (17 April) bombings took place this week. In both cases, there was no prior intelligence. Both were interpreted as "tweaking" the security forces, having taken place in the presence of policemen. Boston police and National Guards were in full strength for the marathon. The route was "swept" twice on Monday (15 April). Yet the bomb planting could not be detected. In Bangalore, the bombing took place "under the nose of policemen" (as a TV anchor put it on 17 April) since 24 policemen were detailed in front of the BJP office. The Boston "pressure cooker" bombs were fabricated with ordinary black explosive powder sold in Wal-Mart or sports goods shops. In 2010, Al Qaeda had circulated a video "Making a bomb in the kitchen of Mom" with such ingredients. Faisal Shazad had used it in the failed Times Square bombing (1 May 2010). US security experts were divided whether it was an amateur or a sophisticated bomb maker. Robert Lisconski, former Homeland Security officer, now with "Implant Sciences" said the bomber might have deliberately chosen a less sophisticated device that would be difficult to detect. One suspect was arrested on the 17th. Our media started saying the Bangalore "footprints" indicated the Indian Mujahideen. It is high time we abandoned notions of "footprints". A terrorist hides his identity by changing his modus operandi. The modern trend is "do it yourself terrorism", by changing tactics.
Following this incident, a debate has started in US whether their intelligence integration architecture would have to be revised. Ultimately, what prevails was conveyed by Irish Republican Army (IRA) to Mrs Margaret Thatcher after the Brighton Hotel attack (12 October 1984) which damaged her bedroom: "Today we were unlucky. But remember, we have only to be lucky once. You have to be lucky always".
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