Suhaib Pottanikkal, 17 others in contact with Indian Mujahideen: Ahmedabad Police

Following the arrest of Suhaib Pottanikkal, an accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case, Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP) Crime Branch in Ahmedabad, K.J Bhatt, on Wednesday said all of the 18 absconding accused were in contact with the Indian Mujahideen (IM) and spreading its network.

"The city crime branch had been investigating the 2008 blast for a very long time, and approximately, we have arrested seven to eight people in this case. Eighteen people are still absconding and all of them have been in contact with the Indian Mujahideen for quite some time. As regards Suhaib Pottanikkal, we arrested him from Kerala and currently we cannot reveal much details about the matter. One person from the 18 is still wanted by the Kerala Police and there are still on the lookout for him," Bhatt told media here.

Earlier this day, Suhaib Pottanikkal, accused in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case was arrested by the Crime Branch from Kerala.

The Gujarat police had arrested the suspected mastermind in the case, Mufti Abu Bashir, along with nine others, in connection to the bombings.

The 2008 Ahmedabad bombings were a series of 21 bomb blasts that hit Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008, within a span of 70 minutes. Fifty-six people were killed by the bombing and over 200 people were injured in these incidents.

The Islamic militant group, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, claimed responsibility for the attacks.