India arrests two for raising money for al Qaeda

KOLKATA, India, Friday (Reuters) - Police in eastern India said they were questioning two suspected Bangladeshi nationals arrested in connection with distributing leaflets and raising money for an organisation which had al Qaeda as part of its name.

News of the arrest came a day after suspected Islamist militants set off hundreds of crude bombs across Bangladesh, killing two people and wounding about 100 in what was seen as an attempt at spreading fear and panic.

The flyers explained in Urdu that the money would be used by 'mujahideen' (holy warriors) fighting in support of Muslims around the world. The coupons, priced at 25 rupees ($0.6) each, were sold under the name of 'Mujahideen al Qaeda Pacific International'.

They were being distributed in some Muslim-dominated neighbourhoods in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, previously known as Calcutta, and which is across the border from Bangladesh.

The men were arrested on Sunday, a senior police officer told Reuters. He said the two were suspected to be Bangladeshi nationals who had entered India illegally. It was not clear when the drive to raise money began.

"These people came here to collect money. We are probing if this money was being funnelled to international terror organisations," said the officer, who did not want to be named.

The leaflets had messages from two Islamist groups identified as 'Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami', a Bangladeshi group, and the previously unheard of 'Al Jihad Islami al Qaeda Mujahideen', he said.

Kolkata's police chief, Prasun Mukherjee, said police were investigating whether 'Mujahideen al Qaeda Pacific International' had any links with Osama bin Laden's terror network.

"It is a new trend - homegrown outfits taking the name of major terror organisations and claiming to be their branch groups. These people may have nothing to do with al Qaeda.

"But we have arrested two persons and are interrogating them. Nothing can be said without a thorough investigation," Mukherjee told Reuters.

"Even in the London bombings the groups involved were unknown names but it is being said they may have had connections with international terrorist networks."

The previously unknown "Secret Group of al Qaeda's Jihad in Europe" and two other militant groups claimed responsibility for last month's bomb blasts in London in which at least 56 people were killed and 700 wounded.