India's CBI has informed FBI that the ransom money taken by Dubai underworld don Aftab Ansari to release a Kolkata shoe baron was used to finance Mohammed Atta. CBI Director P C Sharma told visiting FBI Chief Robert S Mueller that Ansari, who claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack, had taken a ransom of 37.5 million rupees to free Parthapratim Roy Burman through hawala channels to Dubai. Out of this amount, Omar Sheikh, one of the three militants released by India for the safety of hostages on board the hijacked Indian Airlines plane in Kandahar, had sent $100,000 to Atta through telegraphic transfer. Sheikh, a British national, was an important leader of Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islamia.
If true, that would seem to establish some more dirty ISI links that Pakland might like to explain. It's also a link between the Kashmiri networks and al-Qaeda, which should move them - and especially Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islamia - up the US interest list. India has an ax to grind with Pak, of course, but things sure seem to at least point to Kashmir. |