Why is the US connection to Ahmedabad bomb blasts hidden?

by moinansari

Source : rupeenews.com

| RUPEE NEWS | August 20th, 2008 | Moin Ansari | معین آنصآرّی |

Why was an American involved in the Ahmadabad bombs in India?

How did he escape? Why has the Indian government not discussed this in public before.

Right after the blasts, India immediately blamed the Pakistani ISI for the blasts.

Now weeks later we find out that an American was a suspect.

US national gives ATS the slip, flees

Mumbai: American national Kenneth Haywood, the man from whose IP address e-mails containing terror threats were sent just minutes before the serial blasts in Ahmedabad has managed to give the police the slip, and flee the country.

Haywood was an employee of Campbell White though the email was traced to his Navi Mumbai residence. The police had picked him up from his residence after investigations showed that his Internet Protocol (IP) address was used to send the e-mail.

An embarassed Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) now says it has given the him a clean chit.

Maharashtra ATS Chief Hemant Karkare says, " Hamein koi jaankaari nahi di thi." ("We were not informed that he was leaving the country.")

Red-faced was how the ATS reacted to the news of Haywood skipping India via the Delhi airport. This inspite of the fact that the ATS had issued a national lookout notice against him.

Now, the ATS squarely places the blame on the Indira Gandhi International airport officials for Haywood’s escape. But the question that everyone is asking is: Why did the ATS not impound Haywood’s passport?

Karkare has an explanation ready. "Generally only an accused’s passport is impounded, and then too when there is definite proof," says he.

Till Monday afternoon, Haywood was still of significance to the Ahmedabad blasts’ investigation. The ATS had not ruled out the possibility of his IP address being hacked.

Forty-four-year-old Haywood was working with an MNC in Mumbai and had even cooperated with the probe. However, over the past three days, Haywood had failed to appear despite repeated summons.

Karkare says, "We have just got an FSL report that says he is innocent and there was also a report from the computer experts that said he was innocent."

Haywood’s escape from India is a definite embarrassment for the Maharashtra ATS and in a face-saving effort of sorts, the ATS has given him a clean chit only after he has managed to leave the country.

Now, to avoid further embarrassment, the police claim they have identified the suspects behind the terror blasts in Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, Haywood - an ex-pastor - has accused the ATS of corruption and has even vented his frustration over the pace of investigation in an email interview to CNN-IBN. It is believed he was vary of undergoing a narco-test that was on the cards. His escape today is a testimony of the sorry state of police intelligence and airport security in the country.