By IANS,
Chennai : Harooun Ismail, a 35-year-old murder accused who had been on the run since 1996, was arrested at the international airport here while attempting to enter the country Tuesday, police said.
Ismail, believed to be a member of the Al Umma terrorist group, had allegedly killed a woman by sending a letter bomb in 1995. Although he was arrested in 1996, he got out of prison on bail and managed to flee the country.
A police official said a red corner notice was issued for Ismail and his passport was cancelled before he was traced to Dubai.
Acting on information that he would be travelling to Chennai via Bangkok, police managed to nab Ismail at the international airport at about 1 a.m.
Ismail was remanded to judicial custody and sent to the high security Puzhal prison.
The letter bomb that killed M.K. Thangamuthu on July 3, 1995 was sent by Ismail to her husband Muthu Krishnan, a Hindu activist.
A few days later, Ismail sent another letter bomb to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker J. Pandiyan but police intercepted the package and began tracing the sender, leading to Ismail’s arrest in 1996.