New Delhi: Delhi Police today claimed to have averted a series of explosions in the national capital with the arrest of a Pakistan-trained militant of Harkat-ul- Jehadi Islami (HuJI), an alleged conspirator of 2006 Varanasi blasts, and recovered over three kg RDX at his instance.

Abdur Rehman (31), who is alleged to be sent by top HuJI commanders in Bangladesh to cause blasts here, was arrested near New Delhi Railway Station late last night when he arrived here from Kolkata on Howrah-New Delhi Express.

The interrogation of the HuJI militant, who received training from Pakistan and Bangladesh and acted as a maulana in a west Delhi masjid, revealed that he had hidden 3.1 kg of RDX in an open space near a masjid in West Delhi s Janakpuri D-block, which was recovered early this morning.

The recovered RDX was part of a 10 kg consignment sent from Bangladesh through HuJI coordinator Babubhai, who distributed it here, Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh told reporters here.

Apart from RDX, five detonators and an "ABCD" timer device (which can trigger a blast after 194 days of setting the bomb) were also recovered.

The arrest follows a tip off from central intelligence agencies about the possibility of a HuJI militant sneaking into the capital for causing serial blasts in the city on orders from HuJI's self-styled commander Nata in Bangladesh.

Asked whether Rehman was involved in the Jaipur blasts, Singh said, "it is difficult to say anything now. We are not sure yet that HuJI is behind the Jaipur blasts. We are interrogating him."

Singh said the interrogation of Rehman, a suspected member of a HuJI module in capital, revealed that HuJI militants were receiving training from an "interesting mix" comprising Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Rehman's another counterpart identified as Rocky is still at large and police said they just have the name and no other details about him. Rehman was initiated into militancy by Babubhai and the duo went to Bangladesh in October 2002 before going to Pakistan for receiving specialised training in handling of sophisticated weapons and RDX at Daura-e-Khas camp run by ISI in Sindh, he said.

He returned to Bangladesh in January 2003, where Nata asked him to concentrate on India. He disguised himself as a maulana in various masjids in western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and tried to attract youngsters to HuJI, Singh claimed. "In September 2005, Rehman shifted his base to Delhi from UP's Muzaffarnagar and worked as a maulana in west Delhi's Dabri area where he provided safe hideouts for HuJI militants," he said.

Rehman buried a part of RDX near the masjid where he was acting as the maulana after Babubhai and another of his associate Noushad were arrested in Uttar Pradesh.

During this period, he contacted Nata who directed him to stay in UP and receive another militant Shabir Ahmad. Later in October last year, Nata asked him to come to Bangladesh where he stayed till this month. His return to India came following the HuJI leaders decision to cause explosions in the capital.

Source : PTI