Key accused in Kozhikode blasts case turns approver

A key accused in the 2006 Kozhikode twin bomb blast case was on Thursday made approver by the CBI Special court.

The order in this regard was issued by special court judge S Vijay Kumar on a request from Shammi Firoz to make him approver in the case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing terror related cases in Kerala, supported Firoz's plea.

Firoz's name will henceforth be deleted from the accused list and he will be made a witness.

Firoz (28), who hails from Parappanangadi in Kozhikode was arrested by NIA in March this year from the Nedumbassery airport when he arrived from Abu Dhabi. The NIA had filed chargesheet in the case on August 2 this year.

The court also ordered issue of warrant to Bangalore police to produce suspected LeT militants and accused in Bangalore blast case and Kozhikode twin blast case-- T Nazeer, Sarfraz Nawaz, and two others in the court within two weeks.

The accused are currently lodged in Bangalore prison. Two policemen and a porter were injured in the Kozhikode bomb blasts  which occurred on March 3, 2006. The first bomb exploded in a garbage dump at the KSRTC bus station and another shortly later at a drain near a busstand.