Terror crackdown: In countrywide swoop, NIA picks up 14 youths
New Delhi/Mumbai

In a major anti-terror swoop across the country ahead of Republic Day, 14 youths were arrested or detained by the NIA and other security agencies in the wee hours of today after they allegedly formed a module on the pattern of dreaded ISIS to carry out strikes at vital installations.

A possible attack may have been averted with the crackdown that came at a time when the country was in a state of heightened alert, as investigators questioned the arrested youths for possible links with the ISIS. Some of the youths are stated to be software engineers.

The raids were carried out simultaneously in five states of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh where 14 people were “arrested or detained”. They were part of a group named ‘Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind’ (Army of Caliph of India), a terror group which has almost similar ideologies that of ISIS.

An official spokesman of the Union Home Ministry maintained that five people have been arrested “so far” and another nine have been detained while sources privy to the developments in Mumbai and Bangalore said eight people were detained besides the five arrests while one person has been let off. The sources said the eight detained people are likely to formally arrested tomorrow.

NIA gave the names of those arrested as Muttabir Mustaq Sheikh from Thane district near Mumbai, Mohammad Nafees Khan of Hyderabad, Mohammad Shareef Mounuddin Khan of Hyderabad, Najmul Huda of Mangalore and Mohammad Afzal of Bangalore.

Family members of some of the arrested people claimed they have nothing to do with any terror plot and that they were innocent.

The NIA along with state police forces and central security agencies swooped on pre-determined areas in the wee hours of today and picked up these people, the sources said, adding they were planning to execute a terror strike.

Sheikh had designated himself as ‘Ameer’ (Chief) of the group and Huda as ‘Ameer-e-Wyulat’ (finance) and they were in touch on Internet with some persons believed to be from ISIS based in Syria, the sources said.

They said the people had been under surveillance for quite sometime and the decision to arrest them was taken as the group received ‘instructions’ for carrying out ‘some sensational’ attacks in the country.

All the youths, ranging between the age group of 25 to 30, are educated with some of them having completed studies in software engineering, the sources said.

The group had started receiving money through ‘hawala’ route and according to Home Ministry spokesman “Sheikh also received funds to the tune of Rs 6 lakh.”

The raids were conducted in collaboration with police forces in all the states.

The NIA and central agency sleuths recovered laptops, explosive material, detonators, wires, batteries and hydrogen peroxide besides ‘Jehadi literature’, the sources said.

The sleuths also recovered 42 mobile phones including eight from Ameer of the newly formed terror group which had allegedly received hawala money from overseas, the sources said.

All the arrested accused were being brought to the national capital for detailed interrogation as preliminary enquiry indicated that there was a proper structure of the terror outfit.

The attempt of the group was to spread their activities to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Assam, Bangalore, Uttrakhand and Karnataka, the sources said.

During last eight months, members of the group had visited some locations within the country and photographed some iconic installations, the sources said without identifying the places visited by them.

The Home Ministry spokesman said a total of 14 suspects were picked up in different states of which there were from Mumbai, four each from Hyderabad and Bengaluru and one each from Mangalore, Tumkur (Karnataka) and Lucknow.

The spokesman said of the detained, some may be arrested while some may be let off, “depending on the investigation and information collected on them.”

The Home Ministry spokesman said it was not immediately clear from where they received funds but added “all of them were somehow connected with one ‘Yusuf’, believed to be Safi Armar, a former member of Indian Mujahideen(IM).

The spokesman, while making attempts to downplay ISIS links, said online radicalisation is a worldwide phenomena.

“We have been monitoring many people for their online activities.”

“This is a larger group who have direct or cross link with Yousuf. His links with ISIS is subject of investigation as his location was not known as yet,” he said, adding they were radicalised elements belonging to ISIS who could have joined some group.

Meanwhile, Sheikh, who was arrested from adjoining Thane district, was today produced before a special NIA court here, which sent him on a transit remand to Delhi till December 25.

Sheikh was arrested in the week hours from Amrit Nagar area of Thane district in a joint operation by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and NIA.

NIA told the court that offence was registered at its headquarters in Delhi after the agency came to know that terror group ISIS is recruiting some Indians and citizens from other countries for terror activities.

“During the investigation, the role of the accused was revealed. We have got some incriminating material and some documents were recovered from him,” the probe agency informed.

Special NIA judge N K More accepted the agency’s request and sent Sheikh on a three-day transit remand.

In Hyderabad, four ISIS sympathisers were picked up by NIA from two localities.

“They have been identified as Nafez Khan, Obedullah Khan, Sharif Mohinuddin Khan and Abu Anaz,” a senior police official said.

The first three were picked up from their residences in Tolichowki area while Abu, who is a native of Rajasthan was picked up from Madhapur area, he said.

Nafez is unemployed while Obedullah, Sharif and Abu were working as private employees, the officer said.

The four are in custody of NIA, he added.

Security agencies have busted ISIS module: Rijiju
New Delhi

The Centre today said the security agencies have busted the ISIS module after working on leads in a focused manner.

“Considering the threat, our agencies busted the ISIS module in a focused manner. That is the reason why the raids were conducted,” Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said here.

Rijiju was replying to a question on detention of 14 suspects from different states for their alleged links with ISIS.

The 14 suspects were apprehended by the NIA in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their links with ISIS.

6 suspected terrorists arrested in Karnataka
Bengaluru

Six suspected terrorists were arrested today by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Karnataka in coordination with the state police, Home Minister G Parameshwara said.

The crackdown comes days after the arrest of a madrassa teacher from here for suspected links with al-Qaeda, and office of the Consulate General of France received a threat letter against French President Francois Hollande’s proposed visit to India on the occasion of the Republic Day.

“I have been informed that NIA and State Police have arrested six suspected terrorists in the state. Interrogation and gathering of information from them is still going on,” Parameshwara told reporters here.

He said among those arrested four were from Bengaluru, one from Tumkuru and one was from Hubballi.

“This is what I have been told. I am yet to get details on this, after getting information I will share what can be shared,” the Minister said.

Asked whether the state police were aware that arrests would be made, Parameshwara said NIA in coordination with the state police conduct such operations.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said separately, “Arrest will be made by NIA, they won’t inform or discuss with us.” Meanwhile, Bengaluru Police Commissioner N S Megharik said, “We were kept in the loop by the NIA (about the arrests in Bengaluru).It is not a joint operation.”

Man with suspected terror links held in Thane
Mumbai

A man with suspected links to terror outfits has been arrested from adjoining Thane district.

Abdul Sheikh (40) was arrested last night from Amrit Nagar area of Thane district in a joint operation by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and National Investigation Agency, police sources said.

“In a joint operation with the NIA, police picked up a person last night. He has been handed over to the NIA as the case belongs to them,” the sources said.

They, however, declined to divulge any further details with regard to the operation.

NIA gets transit remand of alleged ISIS recruit from Thane
Mumbai

Alleged ISIS member Mudabbir Mustaq Sheikh, arrested from neighbouring Thane district, was today produced before a court here which granted NIA his transit remand for three days so that he could be produced before a court in Delhi.

Sheikh (40) was arrested last night from Amrit Nagar area of Thane district in a joint operation of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and the National Investigation Agency.

NIA lawyer told the court that a case was registered at its headquarters in Delhi after the agency came to know that the middle-east terror group ISIS was recruiting some Indians and foreign nationals for terror activities.

“During the investigation, the role of the accused was revealed. We have got some incriminating material and some documents were recovered from him,” the probe agency informed.

Special NIA court’s judge N K More then granted the agency Sheikh’s 3-day transit remand.

Youth who joined Lashkar-e-Toiba held from south Kashmir
Srinagar

17-year-old Aquib Bashir, who had allegedly joined Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), has been arrested from Shopian district in south Kashmir.

Acting on a tip-off, a joint party of army and police from Khuadpora area of Shopian arrested Aquib last night, a police official said today.

One AK rifle, one magazine and 30 rounds were recovered from the possession of the arrested teenager, he said.

The arrest comes a day after Gazi Fayaz Ahmad Dar, another youth who had joined LeT along with a policeman, was arrested from his house in Shopian.

An AK assault rifle with a magazine and 90 rounds of ammunition were recovered from Dar’s possession, the official said.

Aquib and Dar were among four youths, including a policeman, who reportedly joined LeT group together on January 15 after the cop deserted the force and ran away with four AK assault rifles and some ammunition.

Constable Shakoor Ahmad Parrey, who was posted as Personal Security Officer (PSO) of Sub-Divisional Police Officer Bijbehara, and another youth are still absconding and efforts are on to nab them, the official said.

Independent MLA threatens to hand over BJP MLA to Lashker-e-Toiba: BJP demands action
Jammu

The J&K BJP unit today demanded action against state Independent MLA Engineer Rashid for allegedly threatening to hand over a BJP worker to LeT in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Rashid has, however, denied the allegation.

“Action should be taken against him (Engineer Rashid) for making such a statement as he has taken oath on the Constitution and he must be held responsible for whatever he spoke,” the President of the state BJP, Sat Sharma, said here.

BJP worker Shabir Ahmed Khan had been allegedly thrashed yesterday by supporters of Rashid when he objected to the lawmaker targeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the killing of a civilian in the south Kashmir town.

Sharma said that Rashid had also threatened to hand over Khan to Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT).

“Action should be taken as per the law against such people. A lawmaker should think before speaking on such issues as we are lawmakers and not the law breakers,” Sharma said on the sidelines of a function here.

The lawmakers are supposed to take measures which are for the welfare of the state and not against it, he said.

“Not only the BJP workers, but if any citizen of Jammu and Kashmir is threatened, action must be taken against that individual,” Sharma added.

Punjab, Delhi on alert as driver of missing cab found dead
Chandigarh/New Delhi

Police in Punjab and Delhi today sounded an alert after the driver of a taxi hired by three unidentified persons was found dead in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra, in the aftermath of the terror attack on Pathankot air base.

“We have sounded an alert in our area (Pathankot). We are taking this matter very seriously and we are making efforts to locate the missing taxi,” Senior Superintendent of Police, Pathnakot, R K Bakshi said today.

The taxi driver, identified as Vijay Kumar, a resident of Gaggal village in Kangra district, was found dead on Wednesday at the Kalta bridge in Kangra and his taxi missing, police said.

However, the SSP said the white-colour Alto taxi with registration number HP 01D 2440 was not hired from Pathankot.

“Neither the taxi was hired from Pathankot nor the incident (recovery of body) has happened here (Pathankot),” he said.

Noting that he had got the matter inquired, Bakshi said three Punjabi-speaking persons had hired the taxi from Gaggal in Kangra district for Pathankot.

“Three Punjabi-speaking people had hired the taxi from Gaggal at 8 pm on January 14. But on Wednesday, the body of the driver was recovered from the subdivision Jawali in HP which is about 40-50 kms from Pathankot,” he said.

Police in the national capital also sounded an alert and asked citizens to stay vigilant.

“The Alto car is missing. Search operations are on. Stay Alert!” the pinned tweet on Delhi Police’s official handle read.

Asked on the threat perception, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi urged people in the city to remain alert without disclosing any further details citing security concerns.

The alert was issued in the backdrop of the attack on IAF base in Pathankot where terrorists had first killed a cab driver and robbed his car before launching the strike on January 2.

Seven security personnel were killed and several others injured in the terror strike carried out by militants suspected to be belonging to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed.

All six terrorists were also killed in the gun fight that continued for three days.

PTI