A special Prevention of Terrorism Act court on Wednesday convicted suspected al Qaeda operative Mohammad Afroze facing the charge of developing terrorist links to create explosions worldwide.
Afroze has been found guilty under Sections 120-b (conspiracy) and Section 126 of the Indian Penal Code (committing depredation on territories of power at peace with the Government of India).
On this count, he would get five years rigorous imprisonment.
Afroze was also found guilty under Section 467, IPC (forgery of valuable security) read with Section 471, IPC (using as genuine forged documents). On this count, he was sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment.
Designated Judge A P Bhangale, however, acquitted him from the charge of conspiring to wage war against the nation (Section 121-A, IPC).
The judge acquitted Afroze's brother Mohammad Farooq Abdul Razaq as police could not produce substantial evidence against him. He was charged with helping Afroze to go abroad to join al Qaeda and undertake pilot training on forged documents to accomplish their mission of bombing important places.
The state had booked Afroze under POTA but later dropped the charges. However, he faced trial under IPC for various offences, prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said.
Mohammad Afroze was arrested on December 3, 2001 on charges of conspiring with terrorist outfit al Qaeda to bomb the House of Commons in UK, Parliament House in India and Radio Towers in Australia.
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