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Afroz, charged with sedition, had confessed on December 18 before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate V P Taware about his alleged links with Al Qaeda, undergoing pilot's training in a foreign country and the secret plans of this organisation to blow up prime targets in the United Kingdom, the USA and India.
Prior to making a statement before the magistrate, the accused had already confessed before police and revealed the conspiracy hatched by the Al Qaeda to create terror world-wide.
His lawyer Mubin Solkar filed a petition before designated judge A P Bhangale seeking permission to retract his confession. It is expected to come up for hearing on May three.
The petition said Afroz had retracted his confession on the ground that it was made under duress. It was alleged police officers often visited him in jail and issued threats in prison.
Afroz alleged that the police had threatened to kill his brother unless he made a confession of his alleged links with the Al Qaeda, a terrorist organisation headed by Saudi extremist Osama bin Laden.
Afroz's brother is absconding and faces the charge of waging war against the nation.
Afroz also alleged in the petition that police had used third degree methods in the jail to pressurise him into making a confession.
Afroz, 26, arrested from Navi Mumbai on December three, had told the police that he frequently visited Australia, USA, UK, Hong Kong and China between 1997 and 2001.
He had also disclosed that suicide squads had been formed by the Al Qaeda to carry out attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York (USA), the British parliament in London, the Romal Tower building in Australia and Parliament House in New Delhi.
Afroz was in the squad meant for attack on Britain. He claimed to have obtained admission at the Melbourne Flying Academy in Texas and in London for flying Boeing aircraft on the strength of a false education certificate.
Also Afroz, who was provided police security on the orders of the court, has so far not been given guards, his lawyer said.
The court had ordered police security to Afroz at his own cost.
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