Khafeel's parents unsure of his whereabouts

Parents of Sabeel Ahmed, a suspect in the failed UK terror plot, are not sure whether the man who drove the burning jeep in Glasgow airport was their other son Khafeel and are unclear about his involvement in any fundamentalist group, a top police official said on Friday.

A police team had visited Sabeel's house at Banashankari on Thursday night and interrogated the family.

Sabeel's parents said that they had a son named Khafeel, who had left for UK, but were unclear about his activities overseas or his involvement in any fundamentalist group, Police Commissioner, N Achutha Rao, told PTI.

They were also unable to confirm whether the driver of the burning vehicle was indeed their son Khafeel, Rao said.

However, the questioning had revealed that Khafeel had spoken to them 'some time back', he added.

He said the line of interrogation largely focused on the background of the family, the education of their sons and their various activities.

To a question whether the police were probing the involvement of the suspects in any local religious network, or outfits like the SIMI, he said the interrogations had included all these aspects.

"We are probing all the possible angles in the case. We are in the process of finding out all about their activities while they were studying in Bangalore; whether any kind of indoctrination had taken place here; whether they were involved in any groups here," Rao said.

To a question whether the interrogation had thrown up some incriminating evidence, he said, "So far, nothing incriminating has been found".

He also said the intense media scrutiny from within and outside the country had led to the family being reluctant to speak about anything.

"The father is unable to talk. They are currently under terrible mental pressure," he said.

The family of Sabeel Ahmed appeared to be unclear about the activities of Khafeel after he left for UK.

"They have no idea about his activities", he said.

Replying to a question whether a police team had interrogated the family of Mohammed Hanif, the other suspect in the UK terror plot, he said, "We have conducted enquiries with all persons."

The police chief maintained that they were yet to receive any official communication from the UK authorities seeking details about the Bangalore links of the suspected terrorists.

However, the city police had launched its own probe and were trying to find out if the suspects had any previous record of being involved with a fundamentalist group or had participated in any subversive activities while residing in the state.