BANGALORE: Investigation into the terrorist strike on the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) has revealed that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Abdul Rehman, who was arrested in Nalgonda, had earlier visited Bangalore and a few other places in Karnataka.

Highly placed sources in the police told The Hindu that Rehman, said to be in charge of LeT's operations in south India, had visited Bangalore, Mysore and Kolar districts.

Rehman, who was based in Saudi Arabia, had been visiting Karnataka since 2003.

His main job was to recruit cadres for the LeT and he obtained funds for the organisation's activities from Saudi Arabia, the sources said.

The conspiracy to attack vital installations in Bangalore, including IISc., was hatched in 2003.

Coordinating attacks

Though Rehman's family members have claimed that he had come to India to celebrate Ramzan with them, the police suspect that he was in India to "coordinate" the attack on the IISc., the sources said.

Though Rehman has given some information on the LeT's activities, he has so far not revealed anything significant that could lead the police to the man who opened fire at the IISc. campus, killing a retired professor and injuring four others, the source said.

Responsibility

Though the police have said that the attack was carried out by the LeT, they are surprised that no organisation has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Whenever a terrorist group carries out an attack, it claims responsibility for the act to prove its existence, they said.

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