On February 13, 2010, a deadly explosion at German Bakery, a popular eatery in Pune thronged the city to fear and anxiety. With Pune being a victim of its first-ever terror attack, it was also the first major terror strike after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008. Ten years on, here's a look back on the incident that left 11 dead and 64 injured. (All pictures/mid-day Archives)
Updated On: 2020-02-13 08:15 AM IST
A powerful bomb had exploded at the German Bakery, a popular eatery also frequented by foreigners, on February 13, 2010, which left 17 dead and 64 injured, in first terror attack in Pune.
Among the dead were five foreign nationals. It was also the first major terror strike after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008.
According to the Maharashtra Police's ATS officials, the blast was carried out by suspected LeT militants involved in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case and Indian Mujahideen operatives.
The Maharashtra Police's Anti-Terrorism Squad filed a charge sheet in the case on December 4, 2010, against Himayat Baig and six others including Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, one of the handlers of 26/11 terrorists, Fayyaz Kagzi, Yasin Bhatkal, Iqbal Bhatkal, Riyaz Bhatkal, and Mohsin Chaudhari.
The ATS had claimed that Baig, who worked in a library, was a member of terrorist organisation LeT and had undergone arms training in Colombo. It had named Baig a conspirator of the blast and had claimed that RDX used in the blast had been found in his house in Beed, Marathwada.
On the day of the incident, Yasin Bhatkal and Baig went to German Bakery after changing two rickshaws and stopped 4 km away from it. They walked that distance, after which Bhatkal entered the bakery, placed the bag of explosives and left, said investigators.
Then ATS chief Rakesh Maria said that a mobile alarm timer was used to trigger the RDX-laden bomb. Bhatkal's image was caught on CCTV camera. He also said that there is no image of Baig since he waited outside the bakery when Bhatkal went in to plant the bomb.
Maria also said that Baig had conducted a recce of the bakery a number of times, and on February 3 the terror plan was finalised in Udgir. Mohsin (Chaudhari) was the one who got the explosives to Pune on February 7 and the bombs were made that night by him along with Bhatkal and Baig.
Baig was arrested by the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) in September 2010 from Pulgate bus stand, nearly seven months after the terror attack.
Lashkar-e-Taiba operative David Headley, in his testimony before a US court in the trial of his accomplice Tahawwur Rana, had admitted in 2013 that he had recced and taken photographs of the eatery before the blast.
During the court proceedings, the prosecution maintained that the primary objective of the terror attack was to undermine and reduce faith of the common people in the elected government and destabilise the system of law.
The special judge upheld the prosecution argument that the terror attack caused deaths of foreign nationals, earning the country a bad name.
On April 15, 2013, the special public Prosecutor said Baig was charged under Indian Penal Code Sections 302, 307 (murder and attempt to murder), 435, 474 (mischief by fire and explosive and forgery) and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), besides other charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Explosives Act.
