Iqbal Bhatkal

Iqbal Shahbandri (born 1970), known as Iqbal Bhatkal, is an Indian Islamist militant who is the co-founder, ideologue, leader and wanted terrorist of the Indian Mujahideen, an Islamist terrorist group based in India. He is the brother of another IM co-founder Riyaz Bhatkal,

Early life Iqbal Bhatkal was born as Iqbal Shahbandri in the South Indian fishing town of the Bhatkal in the Uttara Kannada district of the state of Karnataka. His brother, Riyaz, was a bright student, but Iqbal was not. He attempted to get his diploma in Construction Technology eighteen times, but failed every time. Then Iqbal changed his field of study to Unani medicine, although his real interests were in religion. He took part in activities of the Islamic movement Tablighi Jamaat and listened to many lectures by Zakir Naik, a Muslim who founded the Islamic Research Foundation. These lectures seemed to have a deep impact of Iqbal and are said to have led him to violence.

Terrorism He was involved in the Germany bakery blast, which resulted in the death of seventeen and injury of sixty-four people. Iqbal Shabandari had started his career as a fervent proselytizer for the largely apolitical Tablighi Jamaat and later on became an Islamist ideologue who recruited several Pune men into the Indian Mujahideen. While the two Bhatkal brothers were living in a rented apartment in Khondwa, Pune they presided over terrorist networks that later carried out multiple bombings across the country.

In 2007, it is believed that he wrote the manifesto that was sent to the media before they carried out terrorist attacks in the Indian cities of Lucknow, Varanasi, and Faizabad. In all the cases above Iqbal is an absconding accused. The way the email was written reflects the influence of Pakistan's Army with references to Muhammad bin Qasim, Ghauri, and Ghazni. He was also the first leader of the Indian Mujahideen to have his name added to the list of the most wanted by the Indian government by the Central Bureau of Investigation. He is currently not believed to be actively involved in IM's operations and his brother is said to lead the group.