Terror suspect sent to 7-day ATS custody

Chennai: Abu Backer Siddique, arrested in connection with a series of terror cases spanning three decades, has been sent to a seven-day custody under the TN Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) by a special court in Poonamallee.Siddique, was taken for questioning about his role in the 2011 pipe bomb attempt on former deputy Prime Minister L K Advani in Madurai, and the 2012 murder of Dr Aravind Reddy in Vellore. ATS officials said he would also be questioned about killings of Hindu outfit leaders in TN.Siddique was arrested along with two others, Tailor Raja and Mohammad Ali, from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The trio were evading arrest for years while raising families and running small businesses under false names. Investigators said they re-established links with contacts in TN in an attempt to revive sleeper cells.Police said, Siddique and Ali were responsible for the 1995 parcel bomb killing of Thangam Muthukrishnan in Nagapattinam, a foiled bomb attempt in Nagore, and the 1995 Hindu Munnani office blast in Chintadripet. They were also linked to 1999 serial blasts in Chennai, Trichy, and Coimbatore.