Daesh in India: Terrorists planned to attack Delhi

Delhi - Police has arrested four suspected terrorists from Haridwar in Uttarakhand for plotting attacks in Delhi and nearby areas.

Delhi Police on Wednesday announced the arrest of four members of Daesh aged 19-23, who were in touch with handlers in Syria and Iraq and were planning a terrorist attack ahead of Republic Day at targets such as the Ardh Kumbh in Haridwar and prominent shopping malls of Delhi-NCR like Select Citywalk, Saket; DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj and the Great India Place in Noida.
The arrests confirmed the presence of Daesh in India for the first time, transforming what was till now a concern into an actual security threat. The Daesh cell members, according to the police, said they were close to preparing IEDs and procuring weapons on the instruction of handlers who they were in touch with over VOIP, WhatsApp and Facebook.
Delhi Police has arrested four suspected terrorists-reportedly linked with the Daesh terror outfit-from Haridwar in Uttarakhand for plotting attacks in the capital and nearby areas.
The four suspects-Akhlaq ur Rehman, Mohammad Osama alias Adil, Mohammad Azimu Shaan and Mehraj-were arrested on Tuesday based on specific information by central intelligence agencies.
"All the suspects belong to Haridwar from where they were arrested on Tuesday. We produced them in a court in Delhi on Wednesday which sent them to 15 days police custody," said Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep.
The suspects had plans to carry out bombings during the ongoing Ardh Kumbh in Haridwar, in Roorkee-Haridwar bound trains, in Delhi and some parts of the National Capital Region (NCR).
The Ardh-Kumbh started on January 1 this year and will end on April 30. During the four-month religious congregation, over five crore pilgrims are expected to visit the district to bathe in the holy Ganga river.
On the first major bathing day on January 14, close to 10 lakh devotees took a dip in the Ganga.
Police claimed that the arrested people were in touch with Shafi Armar, who handles recruitment for Ansar Al Twahid, the Indian offshoot of the terror group.
"We got an input from intelligence agencies that some people are planning attacks on Roorkee-Haridwar bound trains and some other locations in Haridwar and NCR," Arvind Deep said.

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