LOC18:39
15:39 GMT
LONDON, Oct 7 (KUNA) -- A Muslim arrested in Britain used funds donated to
a refugee camp to carry out two bombings in India to "get revenge" on Hindus,
a court heard Thursday.
Mohammed Hanif Umerji Patel had a prominent role in setting up a refugee
camp for Muslims made homeless during religious unrest in Surat, Gujarat,
India, in 1992.
An extradition hearing at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court was told
that Patel and three others decided to use the funds donated to carry out two
blasts in 1993.
An eight-year-old schoolgirl was killed and many other people injured
during the two grenade attacks in Surat - the first on a busy bazaar and the
second on a crowded railway platform.
Patel, known as Tiger Hanif, was wanted by police around the world for 17
years before he was traced to a grocery store in Bolton, Lancashire, by
Scotland Yard investigators earlier this year.
The Indian authorities want Patel, of Bolton, extradited to face
allegations of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion.
Prosecutor Clare Montgomery said: "This defendant took a prominent role in
setting up a refugee camp for Muslim refugees.
"The refugee camp had a fund that was set up to collect donations and it
was agreed by this defendant and three other witnesses that the fund would be
employed to buy weapons."
A witness statement of a co-conspirator, Mohmad Ghadliali, said that a
meeting was called between himself, Patel, and two other men, when they
decided to obtain weapons "for revenge", Ms Montgomery said.
She said it was decided to carry out the first attack on January 27 1993
when a live grenade would be thrown into a busy market.
However, bombers aborted the plot when they saw police in the area.
The next day they returned to the site and successfully exploded the
device, killing an eight-year-old girl who was passing through on her way home
from school.
Ms Montgomery said a second attack was planned in April 1993 at a railway
station which conspirators believed would cause the police to stop a planned
Hindu rally.
"Once again, a live grenade exploded into the crowd - mercifully no-one was
killed but there were a series of injuries," she said.
Patel is also accused of helping one of the bombers escape police capture
by providing him with money, a weapon and a passport.
Up to 13 people were later jailed for between 10 and 20 years for the
blasts.
The hearing continues. (end)
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KUNA 071839 Oct 10NNNN