India - Terrorists & Nick Names

Poornima Swaminathan

The 10 terrorists, who unleashed unprecedented terror on Mumbai, addressed each other by code names. In fact, none of them knew the real names of the others.

Each of these code names was handpicked by their boss, a person named Abdul Baith, who operated from Afghanistan. The names were in Arabic, describing either their personalities or their roles in the attacks. Baith even made these young men believe that they were “the God’s messengers” out to “bring justice to the world”.

The police came to know six of the code names during sustained interrogation of Mohammed Aamir Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive. “Two people were in charge of the 10-member module. They were named Zaim and Nasir al-Din,” said a senior police official, requesting anonymity.

Zaim means General - a person in-charge of an operation. Nasir al Din means one who protects the Islam. These two, Kasab told interrogators, barged into the Taj.

One of the militants, who unleashed terror at the Oberoi, was named al-Hamas. Hamas in Arabic means happy and enthusiastic. The terrorist was a jovial person. Hence, he was given that name, Kasab told the cops.

Another terrorist, for being an excellent orator, very well-versed in the Qu’ran, was given the name Fakih. He used to give the group religious discourses.

Two more had the code names of Abdul Mulham Multan and al-Abbas. Sources said that al-Abbas in Arabic meant fearless. The terrorist known by the name motivated others to believe in the “need to protect Islam”, Kasab told the cops.

At the training camps, the terrorists were taught spoken Arabic and Hindi. “Kasab told us that they had also planned to ram explosive-laden vehicles at the Taj and Oberoi, just the way it was done at the Marriott in Pakistan,” said the officer.