Arrested militants wanted to attack Army convoy in UP

The Lashker-e-Taiba militants, arrested in connection with the strike on CRPF camp in Uttar Pradesh, had a plan to first carry out a suicide attack on an Army convoy which passes through Rampur but it was shelved.

The plan was worked out by Suhail and Arshad Ali alias Baba, both residents of UP, Fayheem, a Pakistani national, Sallahuddin, a resident of Madhubani in Bihar, and Imran and Farooq, both from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), official sources said on Tuesday.

The sources said the spot from where the attack could be carried out was also selected, the sources said, adding the plan was not executed because there was no particular timing for the movement of the convoy. The army has a formation in the adjacent Bareilly area, 60 kms from Rampur.

The militants were apprehensive over coming out in the open with their weapons as they feared that they might be caught, if there was no movement of the army convoy, the sources said.

After many deliberations, the CRPF camp at Rampur was chosen as an alternative target for the attack, they said.

The six militants were also working on plans to leave for Mumbai to carry out a terror strike and also made a reccee of the Bombay Stock Exchange. Fahyeem had arranged for logistics in Mumbai, the sources said.