Court records Dec 13 accused's statement

NEW DELHI: A city court on Wednesday began recording statements of the accused in the Parliament attack case, with Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant Mohammad Afzal admitting he was in contact with terrorist Tariq Ahmed, a proclaimed offender in the case.
Ahmed is alleged to be a close associate of the chief of terrorist outfit, Maulana Masood Azhar.
Recording his statement before special judge S N Dhingra, Afzal denied the prosecution allegations that he was prepared by Tariq for jehad and arranged hideouts for five Pakistani militants, who stormed the Parliament House on December 13.
Mohammed alias Leader, Haider, Raja, Hamza and Rana were the five militants killed in a crossfire with security forces at the Parliament House complex.
The JeM militant said Tariq had told him Mohammed would go to Delhi and stay there for a few months, but he had not instructed him to take Mohammed with him. ‘‘He (Mohammed) had to come to Delhi and he came with me,’’ Azhar told the court.
He also denied the allegation he brought four other militants at Tariq’s instruction. When asked by the court whether he motivated Shaukat Hussain Guru and S A R Geelani, a lecturer of a Delhi University college for jehad, Afzal said Geelani never agreed for the jehad.