New Delhi: Days after United States President Donald Trump declared victory over ISIS, the NIA on Wednesday claimed busting a suspected terror module which it said was inspired by the defeated terror outfit based in Iraq, arresting at least 10 people from Uttar Pradesh and National Capital New Delhi.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Inspector General, Alok Mittal, told reporters that the agency conducted searches across 17 locations in Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi in connection with its probe into the new module called 'Harkat ul Harb e Islam'.
"The module was in touch with foreign handlers, whose identity is yet to be established", Mittal claimed.
Mittal said searches were carried out in Delhi's Seelampur locality, UP's Lucknow, Amroha and Hapur districts where a huge quantity of explosives, a country-made rocket launcher, 100 mobiles and 135 SIM cards were recovered.
"Searches were carried out at 17 locations in Delhi and UP from where 16 suspects were detained and 10 of them were arrested," he said.
"The level of preparation showed they were planning to attacks in near fidayen attacks," Mittal added.
Five people were picked up from the western Uttar Pradesh district of Amroha following a joint operation with the UP Anti-Terrorist Squad, Inspector General ATS Asim Arun said in Lucknow.
The alleged terror module, according to the officials, had been set up by a Mufti Suhail who works in a mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha district.
“It was a self-financed operation... but there is a handler who was guiding them, who appears to be based in a foreign country,” the senior NIA officer said.
Mittal said five of the 10 arrests had been made in Delhi. “Sixteen people were detained for questioning and 10 people have been arrested so far... more people could be arrested,” he said.
This group had come to the notice of the federal investigation agency about three-four months back but it had taken investigators time to unravel the conspiracy.
In March 2017, a suspected terrorist was killed after 11 hours of operation by Uttar Pradesh ATS. The alleged terrorist was hiding in a house in Haji Ali Colony in Thakurganj, on the outskirts of Lucknow. The incidents occurred just days before the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections.
Incidentally, the latest arrests by NIA from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have also been made when India is preparing the general elections due to be held in the month of April 2019.
Indian Muslims have repeatedly denounced the ISIS and other terror outfits saying they have nothing to do with violence against innocents.
More importantly, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on several occasions in the past four years have said terror fight ISIS had failed to grab a foothold in India despite its large Muslim population.
"India is the second largest country as far as Muslim population in the world is concerned. I can say with full responsibility that despite such a large population (of Muslims), the ISIS has not been able to set foot," Rajnath Singh had recently said.
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