Yasin Bhatkal may be the face of the Indian Mujahideen, but it was Riaz Bhatkal alias Roshan Khan alias Aziz alias Ahmedbhai and Iqbal Bhatkal alias Mohammed Bhai who were the real founders of the IM, a home-grown terror outfit that has the backing of lashkar-e-Tayyeba.
While Yasin has finally been arrested, Bhatkal brothers — Riaz and Iqbal — have been elusive since 2008.
The IM came into existence after the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) was banned by the Indian Government, soon after the 9/11 attacks in the United States, in 2001. It is the erstwhile SIMI activists who have either been providing logistic support to other terror outfits or indulging in terror acts themselves — all in the garb of IM.