A key suspect wanted in connection with the April 2013 bomb blast outside the Bangalore headquarters of the BJP allegedly trained with a terrorist group in Afghanistan, some of the men arrested in the case are believed to have told the police.

The fugitive, Abu Backer Siddique, 45, is allegedly also linked to a series of attacks on BJP and Right-wing leaders in Tamil Nadu and is thought to be one of the last missing links in the BJP office blast case. The Tamil Nadu CB-CID’s special investigation division has announced a Rs 5 lakh-reward for information leading to his capture.

Sources said police learnt that Siddique is a key figure in the bombing plot after the arrest last month of Parvai Basha, the alleged explosives supplier for the BJP office blast, and the arrest in October of three alleged key perpetrators of the blast — Police Fakrudeen, 35, Panna Ismail, 38, and Bilal Malik, 25 — all linked to the proscribed Al Ummah outfit from Tamil Nadu.

Siddique, who holds a masters degree in literature, has emerged at the top of the leadership pyramid for the conspiracy as the possible financier and the key link involved in bringing together two factions of the disjointed Al Ummah.

“Siddique was missing from the police radar for nearly 16 years. Some of the accused who have now been arrested are saying that he received training with a terror outfit in Afghanistan. This is under investigation,’’ Karnataka Police sources said.

Officials in the Tamil Nadu Police also acknowledged that Siddique had received terrorism training in Afghanistan.

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