You have got mail

Even as the police continue their hunt for the gunmen in the Jama Masjid firing case, the process to trace the email that was supposedly sent by the Indian Mujahideen. While the email clearly mentions the Indian Mujahideen, security agencies and the intelligence bureau say that the language that has been used in the email is completely different when compared to the earlier mails that this group had sent out during the Delhi and Ahmedabad blasts.

Sources in the Intelligence Bureau told rediff.com that the mail has been sent out by a splinter group operating in the Old Delhi area which is an off shoot of the IM. Following the crack down on the IM in various parts of the country, the group has broken down into sub groups and have been operating individually and have been told to do so, until the entire outfit re-groups.

The IB says that the boys who carried out the attack were originally members of the IM and the manner in which they have used the weapons is an indication that they had been trained properly. However the reason for them to believe that the attack was the doing of a splinter group is because of the manner in which the attack was carried out.

The IM is a deadly organization and has the capabilities of carrying out a very sophisticated attack. This attack was carried out in a hurry and when they had a chance of inflicting maximum damage, they somehow faultered during the operation. This means that the operation was not carried out under the direct supervision of the IM and the planning of the attack was not precise.

Speaking of the mail that was sent out following the attack, investigators are comparing the language used in this mail and also the mails that were sent out on earlier occasions. The new mail has several sentence errors something that the IM had not done in its earlier mails. This particular splinter group has tried its best to ape the IM style of attack by sending out a mail immediately after the attack. This group has also shown its bravado like the IM when it sends out a mail immediately after an attack trying to mock security agencies. Moreover this email also has a warning about a future attack which makes it a very IM styled mail.

Intelligence agencies and the Delhi police are looking into the various splinter groups that are operating in the Delhi area. They believe that the IM alone has at least 6 splinter groups of five to six individuals each working in these belts and are capable of carrying out crude attacks like the one carried out in Delhi on Sunday. Moreover they have access to a lot of weapons which have been left behind by the cadres of the IM before they were arrested.

Security experts say that splinter groups such as these pose a major threat. They may not be operating as the IM as a whole, but have capabilities since they have been trained by them. The only major difference is that at the time of an attack, they may not be as well organized or precise.

Over the past couple of months, there have been movements by these splinter groups to re-group. The attack on Delhi was sure a hurried one and it was a desperate bid to announce their presence in the wake of the forthcoming Common Wealth Games.

Tracking the email is a very important task for the security agencies. The account from which the mail was sent out as Gmail and a request has already been made to the service providers to help track that mail. Sources probing this angle to the case say that there is no problem and the information will be forthcoming from the providers. In the past too we have been provided with details and this time too we would have no problem. However initial leads suggest that the mail was sent out of a cyber caf. The mail was prepared well in advance and was sent out only after the attack. It does not appear as though the mail was written in a hurry and the attackers have included every possible burning including the Batla House encounter. A reading of the mail indicates that this group is trying to gain the support of their community for the burning issues and also seeking to send out a strong signal ahead of the CWG and also the arrests made by the Mumbai ATS which bust their network to a large extent.