Indian Mujahideen – Fact & Fiction

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Indian Mujahideen, the essential facts.

Indian Mujahideen – Fact & Fiction

What is the Indian Mujahideen?

The Indian Mujahideen is a terrorist outfit responsible for major attacks in of Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Guwahati in 2008; Pune in 2012; and Mumbai in 2011 among others.

The members of the Indian Mujahideen claim to be warriors of the Islamic faith, aiming to create a Caliphate across Asia. It is allegedly linked with the Students Islamic Movement of India and the Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami; and is deemed a terrorist organisation in India, the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

The Indian Mujahideen has links with terrorist outfits in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It has sent e-mails prior to and after bombings, claiming responsibility.

What are some of the attacks carried out by the Indian Mujahideen?

The Indian Mujahideen is responsible for at least six attacks in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Delhi Guwahati, Pune and Mumbai.
In 2008, a series of at least nine coordinated blasts rocked Jaipur killing more than 70 people and injuring 200 others. The same year, the Indian Mujahideen was responsible for bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, Delhi and Guwahati killing more than 120 people and injuring several hundreds.

In 2010, Pune suffered a bombing at the famous German Bakery that killed 17 people and injured many including some foreigners. While the LeT claimed responsibility for the bombing, Indian Mujahideen is believed to have acted on their behalf. In August 2012, the Indian Mujahideen carried out 4 low-intensity blasts in which one person was injured.

In 2011, the Mujahideen was responsible for bombings in three places in Mumbai. At least 25 people were killed and over a hundred injured.

What is the motive behind these attacks?

The main goal of the Indian Mujahideen is to create an Islamic Caliphate in South Asia. It believes that non-believers must be punished, killed or tortured, and moderate Muslims must adhere to a more fundamentalist form of Islam based on Sharia'h. Working with Pakistani outfits such as the LeT and HuJI, the Indian Mujahideen has relied on support from across the border.

In its e-mails, the Indian Mujahideen has targeted non-believers and "infidels", calling on them to accept Islam or face death.

How successful has the Government been in dealing with the Indian Mujahideen?

The Government has repeatedly failed at foiling terrorist attacks by the Indian Mujahideen. Following the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008, the Government faced intelligence failure and hasn't been successful at dealing with the group. Following the German Bakery blast in 2010 and the series of blasts that rocked Mumbai, the Government has been unable to tackle the threat posed by the Indian Mujahideen.

Following the bomb blasts in Pune in August 2012, security measures were tightened. In October the same year, three members of the Indian Mujahideen module suspected of involvement in the Pune blasts were arrested by the Delhi Police's anti-terror unit.

The three suspects were close to Indian Mujahideen Chief Yasin Bhatkal, who was apprehended in March 2012. The Delhi Police claims the Mujahideen was planning to attack Delhi and Bihar during the festive season