Kerala blasts: 2 found guilty

The Court of Special Judge National Investigation Agency in Kochi on Thursday found suspected LeT militants Tadiyantavide Nazir and Shafaz guilty in the case related to twin blasts of Kozhikode in 2006.

The quantum of sentence would be pronounced Friday. The case,first among half a dozen cases probed by the NIA in Kerala,has eight accused persons. Of them,two were let free for lack of evidence and two are still absconding. One person was made approver and another killed in a Kashmir encounter.

Although none were injured in the blasts,the use of timer had gave a new dimension to the incident. The NIA said the blasts were held in retaliation against the perceived partisan attitude of the executive and judiciary in not granting bail to 140-odd Muslims accused in the Marad beach carnage in 2003.

NIA had made the third accused Muhammed Halim an approver in the case,which was cracked with Nazirs arrest and other subsequent to the exposure of Keralas alleged terror links with LeT.