Father says Bilal in police custody

Abdul Waheed, father of Shahid Bilal, the key operator of Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the Mecca Masjid blast, said on Monday that his son was not a terrorist and was not even in Bangladesh.

Addressing mediapersons at his Moosarambagh residence, Waheed said, “Immediately after the blast and without any investigation, police blamed Bilal.” He claimed that Bilal was actually in police custody and expressed fear that the police would kill him in an encounter.According to police, Bilal is also the mastermind of the 2005 suicide attack on the Hyderabad Task Force office.