NEW DELHI, Oct 5:
India’s efforts to seek from Malaysia extradition of an accused, wanted for alleged conspiracy of a terror strike on the US and Israeli consulates in south India, has hit a roadblock with a top law office in Kuala Lumpur raising questions over the claim for his custody.
Further more, the official interrogation report, which could have given clues to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in its probe, has also not been handed over after Malaysian Attorney General’s office red flagged India’s request, official sources said.
India had sought extradition of Mohamed Hussain Mohamed Sulaiman, a Sri Lankan national, arrested by Special Unit of Malaysian Police from outskirts of Kuala Lumpur in May. He is alleged to have been conspired with Sakir Hussain, another Sri Lankan national, who was arrested in India in April.
According to the conspiracy, Hussain was to carry out reconnaissance of the US consulate in Chennai and Israeli consulate in Bangalore while Sulaiman was to ferry two suicide attackers to India for carrying out terror strikes at both the places.
India placed a request to the Malaysian authorities for handing over evidence against 47-year-old Sulaiman under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), signed by the two countries in 2012.
India has already secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against Sulaiman and moved Kuala Lumpur for execution of a warrant of arrest issued against him by an Indian court, the sources said.
The Malaysian authorities have issues with the request for seeking extradition of Sulaiman saying that he was a Sri Lankan national and Colombo needs to be brought into the picture for a third country extradition, they said.
India has alleged him of hatching “criminal conspiracy, acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention, possession of forged or counterfeit currency-notes or bank-notes, terrorist act and raising funds for terrorist acts”.
Sulaiman had reportedly told the investigators in Malaysia that he had been tasked to ferry two terrorists from Maldives to a South Indian coast to carry out terror strikes at US Consulate in Chennai and Israeli Consulate in Bangalore.
The terror plot was foiled by an effective coordination of Intelligence Bureau (IB) with countries as Malaysia tipped the central agency about the alleged conspiracy being hatched from Sri Lanka about the attacks.
Malaysia had stumbled upon the case when its Special Unit was probing money laundering and human trafficking cases. Hussain was alleged to be talking to ISI officers and planning to carry out terror strikes on the two consulates. (PTI)
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