Bengaluru: The NIA Court acquitted on terror charges against Mohammed Habeeb (36) a native of Tripura, for his alleged role in a shooting incident at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru. He had been in jail for five years till NIA Special Court acquitted him on June 14^th.

NIA arrested him in 2017 in connection with the December 2005 shooting incident which led to the death of one person and injuries to some others. The Karnataka Police had said the attack was carried out by the Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toiba and later arrested him, as conspirator of the terror attack.

Habeeb’s advocate Tahir Amir said that he is not alone who was kept behind the bars without trial for many years. Still 27 persons accused in the 2013 blast case outside the State BJP Headquarters in Bengaluru are languishing in jail without any trial.

He is garage mechanic by profession, was arrested on the basis of the confessional statement by one Salauddin, who was arrested by Lucknow Police in 2008. Based on the confessional statement, Habeeb was arrested, that too after almost nine years, in December 2017, said advocate Tahir Amir.

Habeeb was charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Explosives Act, and various sections of the Indian Penal Code.