Still a Jihadist, says IM's Yasin Bhatkal

Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal said he left his job to take up jihad and he continues to follow the jihadist ideology.

In his confession before a magistrate in Miyapur in Andhra Pradesh, which is part of the charge-sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency in a Delhi court, Bhatkal said that he was motivated to join the armed struggle after listening to the accounts of affected Muslim people "living in Bosnia and Chechenya".

"Accordingly, I was motivated and joined in armed struggle against Hindus and other communities, those who are against Muslim community. The armed struggle's name is 'Jihad' which has (sic) established in order to prevent assault against Muslims and establishment of Islamic law," said Bhatkal in his confession statement.

"Till today also I am a member of Jihad and I had not left my job in Jihad," he said.

Bhatkal, arrested in August last year near the India-Nepal border, is accused of being involved in various terror strikes in India as well as the 2010 German Bakery bombing in Pune in which he himself placed the explosive-filled knapsack inside the bustling eatery.

Bhatkal has admitted his active role in the German Bakery blast on Feb 13, 2010 in which 17 people were killed and the Chinnaswamy Stadium blast in Bangalore the same year.

"We accordingly blasted (sic) at German Bakery (sic), Pune, on Feb 13, 2010 and we all done these activities at the instructions of Bhatkal brothers. Thereafter, I planted five IEDs on April 16, 2010 at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. In the above said two blasting only I personally related but I am not related to other blasting."

Yasin Bhatkal is not related to the Bhatkal brothers, Riyaz and Iqbal. He came in touch with them while planning terror attacks in India.