Mumbai, May 27: The family members of Pune blast ‘prime’ suspect Abdul Samad Bhatkal, who is in the custody of state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in a 2009 arms seizure case, today said he was falsely implicated in the German Bakery terror strike.
“Abdul is innocent. He is falsely implicated in the case.
At the time of the blast, he was with us in Bhatkal (in Karnataka),” Mohammed Ahmed Ali, uncle of the accused told PTI.
According to the ATS, Abdul is suspected to have planted a bomb in the German Bakery, where 17 persons were killed.
Though Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has said Abdul is the key suspect in the February 13 explosion, ATS has booked him only in the arms case.
In August 2009, ATS had arrested three aides of gangster Chhota Shakeel for possession of firearms.
–Agencies