Date:17/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/17/stories/2007111761091400.htm

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Was Rahul Gandhi the target?

Special Correspondent

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh police chief Vikram Singh on Friday refused to confirm or deny if Congress general secretary and Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi was the target of the Jaish-e-Mohammad militants.

He was asked if the VVIP politician the trio planned to kidnap was a member of the Gandhi family. He said he would be in a position to reveal the details of the plot only after some days as investigation was on.

But a senior Special Task Force official told The Hindu on condition of anonymity: “See the first name on the list of 42 Jaish militants — Afzal Guru — and let your imagination run wild.” The list contains the names of hardcore Jaish members such as Nasrullah Mansoor, Yusuf Nepali, Shafiq Shahid alias Abu Jindal, Mohd. Saeed alias Abu Ubaida, Izharul Haq alias Mufti Zaheer, Ghulam Abbas and Abdul Mateen. All hail from Pakistan and Pak-occupied Kashmir .

Stating that the three were evasive in their replies during interrogation, the official said while one of them had named a politician, the others denied it. “They want to confuse the interrogators.”