Kochi, Wednesday, May 13, 2009: The Anti Terrorist Squad sleuths are interrogating the PDP chief Abdul Nasser Maudani. The team led by DIG Vinodkumar is interrogating Maudani at his residence in Kochi. The interrogation comes in the wake of various statements leveled against him by those who were arrested in connection with terror related cases.

According to Sainudheen, the hardcore terrorist now in the custody of the Karnataka police, had confessed to long-standing association with PDP chairman Abdul Nazar Madhani.

Yusuf alias Mani, a key witness alleged to have close links with the youths killed in Kashmir also revealed about his association with Maudani. According to him he became close to Maudani when the cleric was incarcerated in a Tamil Nadu prison in connection with the Coimbatore blasts.

Yussuf also has said that on his release he was sent by Maudani to Kochi where he was given a job in a purdah shop run by the cleric’s wife Sufia. He also informed the police that a girl Safa had been staying with Sufia during those days. According to police Safa is the daughter of Sainuddeen alias Abdul Jabbar, a close associate of Riaz Bhatkal, founder of Indian Mujahiddeen now under arrest by the Ant-Terror Squad of Karnataka.

The SIT is also in possession of statements from witnesses linking some of the accused in a bus burning case with PDP. The bus burning had taken place in protest against the incarceration of Madani in the Coimbatore blasts case. The accused in the case were PDP workers who are alleged to have links with Sarfaraz Nawas from Kerala arrested recently in Muscat by Central Intelligence Agencies for suspected association with the Lashkar-e-Toiba. Yusuf has admitted to attend many terror-training camps in Kerala and Hyderabad.