ATS sources have told Mirror that a bomb blast similar to the German Bakery bomb explosion has been averted with the arrest of Lashkar-e-Toiba members Mirza Himayat Baig and Sheikh Lalbaba Farid, alias Bilal, on Tuesday.

Bilal, 27, a native of Ghodgi in Solapur district who now lives in Satpur, Nasik, was arrested last night for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack in Nasik. He has been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and produced before a court in Nasik.

ATS officials, however, are convinced that Bilal also played a role in the German bakery blast. “We have arrested him in a UAPA case in Nasik, but we will soon take him into custody in the German bakery blast case as well,” joint commissioner (crime) Rakesh Maria said.

Baig, who heads the Maharashtra operations of LeT had got in touch with Bilal over a year ago, and reportedly convinced him to work for the newly merged LeT-IM module.

“From the material we have seized from both of them, the explosives and the details of recce done over the past few months, we are convinced that Baig and Bilal were planning a German Bakery style blast in a town in north Maharashtra,” ATS sources said.

According to sources, the German Bakery blast was executed to make the presence of LeT felt in Maharashtra, and the bakery was chosen over the Chabad House, solely because deaths of foreign nationals would mean more publicity for the terrorist act.

The new destination the two had targeted in north Maharashtra does not have a presence of foreign nationals, but has some vital defence installations. Sources in the ATS said more arrests were likely in the case.