In a significant development in the ongoing fight against terrorism, Andhra Pradesh Police have identified one of the two terror suspects recently apprehended by Tamil Nadu police as a highly skilled “big fish” bomb maker. The suspect, Abubacker Siddique, in his mid-50s, is believed to have operated as a “lone wolf,” lending his expertise to individuals sharing his radical ideology, and was notably influenced by the controversial fugitive preacher Zakir Naik.
Kurnool Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Koya Praveen, addressing the media on Saturday, emphasized the gravity of the arrest. “This fellow (Siddique) whom we caught is too big a fish than what we had thought,” Praveen stated. “He had travelled all across the length and breadth of this country and frequently visited the Gulf as well.”
Siddique, along with his accomplice Mohammed Ali, was arrested in Rayachoti, Annamayya district, by the Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) earlier this week. Police sources reveal that Siddique is an expert in the fabrication of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), timer-based explosive devices, and other highly lethal materials. His ideological motivation is reportedly rooted in the “Zakir Naik school of thought,” driving him to assist and enable other extremist elements.
The arrested duo has been linked to a string of high-profile terror acts spanning decades. Siddique is suspected of involvement in the 2013 bomb blast at the BJP office in Malleshwaram, Bengaluru, and the 2011 pipe-bomb planting attempt during BJP veteran L.K. Advani’s Rath Yatra in Madurai. Both Siddique and Mohammed Ali were also accused in the coordinated bomb blasts targeting police facilities in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in 1999, and the 1995 blast at the Hindu Munnani office in Chintadripet. The suspects had been on the run for close to three decades, living under aliases in Rayachoti.
Following the arrests, police conducted fresh searches at the premises occupied by Siddique and Ali. While no live explosives were recovered during Saturday’s search, officers confiscated crucial documents and pen drives. Earlier searches had yielded a significant cache of incriminating evidence, including daggers, sickles, digital timers, clock switches, speed controllers, ball bearings, nuts and bolts (commonly used in IEDs), binoculars, walkie-talkies, mobile phones, and hacking software. Authorities also seized maps of major Indian cities, coding manuals, ISIS-inspired literature, property documents, digital storage devices, cheque books, and financial records indicative of suspicious transactions. A parcel bomb seized from the duo was safely disposed of on July 3.
The Andhra Pradesh Police are continuing their extensive investigation to unravel the full extent of Siddique’s network, his past involvement in terror-related cases, and the scope of his influence. The arrest of such a highly skilled operative, with strong ideological ties to radical elements, marks a critical success in counter-terrorism efforts and highlights the persistent threat posed by ideologically motivated individuals.