KOZHIKODE: The 27-year-old Shahrukh Saifi, hailing from Delhi and the prime accused in the Elathur train arson attack case, is a highly radicalised person, said ADGP M R Ajith Kumar on Monday. Speaking to mediapersons in Kozhikode, the officer said that Saifi had been regularly watching videos of controversial Islamic preachers like Zakir Naik.
Ajith Kumar, who is currently heading the special investigation team (SIT) probing the arson attack case, said, “The reason behind slapping Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on the accused was the scientific, documentary and oral evidence collected from him which clearly establishes his intention to attack the train. The evidence collected with the support of Central agencies and other state agencies will help us substantiate our intention to invoke Section 16 (punishment for terrorist act).
Asked whether the NIA will take over the case due to its terror links, the ADGP said, “Kerala Police had earlier investigated UAPA cases. Hence the investigation team will do its best to collect all evidence to substantiate the case.”
Saifi came to Kozhikode with the clear intention of launching an attack or creating a terror situation. He had been planning to commit such an act with clear homework. With the support of state and Central agencies, we were clearly able to track the entire trail of Saifi, from the time he left Delhi till he reached Kerala. Since the probe is in the primary stage, we would not be able to disclose any further information, he said.