New Delhi: The Delhi police on Thursday claimed to have arrested three members of an “ISIS-inspired” module that was “planning a terror strike in the National Capital”.
Police claimed to have arrested the men after a brief shootout in Wazirabad early Thursday. No one was injured in the exchange of fire. Senior officers said two of the arrested men were on conditional bail in the 2014 murder of Hindu Munnani general secretary K P Suresh Kumar.
Deputy commissioner of police (special cell) PS Kushwah said the three men are Khaja Moideen, 52, Syed Ali Navas, 32, and Abdul Samad alias Noor, 28, all from Tamil Nadu.
Kushwah said his team received inputs that a group of highly radicalised people from Tamil Nadu —who were also involved in the 2014 murder of Hindu Munnani leader, KP Suresh Kumar, and have been absconding after they jumped conditional bail—have reportedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
“We had information that all the three entered eastern Uttar Pradesh through Nepal and that they may move to Delhi-NCR to carry out terror strikes. We found the suspects had already reached Delhi with the help of their foreign-based handler,” the DCP said.
Kushwah said continuous surveillance revealed that Khaja Moideen, Syed Nawaz and Abdul Samad had taken a room on rent near Wazirabad and procured arms. In an early morning raid, we caught all the three suspects following a brief exchange of fire, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Kushwah said continuous surveillance revealed that Khaja Moideen, Syed Nawaz and Abdul Samad had taken a room on rent near Wazirabad and procured arms. In an early morning raid, we caught all the three suspects following a brief exchange of fire, he said.
{{/usCountry}}The officer said, interrogation of the trio revealed that Moideen has links with ISIS. “Once out on bail in the murder of KP Suresh Kumar, he planned to revive ISIS in India. He was guided by a foreign-based handler. Moideen along with Nawaz and Samad went to Kathmandu, Nepal, illegally and set up a hideout there. After some time, they crossed over into UP and reached Delhi. Weapons were arranged by their foreign-based handler and they were awaiting orders from their handler to carry out a terror strikes in Delhi,” he said.
Kushwah said that in 2004, Moideen was arrested for organising a training camp at Nellikuppam wherein people were allegedly converted to Islam and trained in handling weapons and martial arts. In 2017, Moideen was also arrested by National Investigation Agency in a terror case.