Busted terror cell planned big attacks across India

A day after the arrest of three terrorists and detention of nine others allegedly linked to terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, sources in the police on Thursday said the three arrested men had planned huge attacks across the country to avenge the atrocities inflicted on their community in India and abroad.

“Angered by the atrocities that they claimed were against their community in India, especially in Kashmir, the terrorists said they got motivated and radicalised to take revenge,” a source said.

The three men roped in many others to form a terror cell to plan multiple attacks in India and abroad. “On interrogation the terrorists said that they had pent up anger as their people were tortured and atrocities were committed against their community all over the world,” said the source.

The arrested men were angered by the series of human rights violations committed by the personnel of the US Army and the CIA against detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq in 2003. “They wanted to avenge such atrocities by forming a radical terror outfit and expand,” the source said.

Investigators on Thursday said the three men were initially inspired by the dreaded ISIS, but later shifted their ideological leaning to Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Special commissioner of police (special cell) Arvind Deep said that Sajid Ahmed, believed to be mastermind of the terror ring, was self-radicalised and propagated ideology which was in line with that of the Islamic State (ISIS) until he came in touch with a cyber-entity “Talha,” who the investigators believe is close to Jaish chief Masood Azhar.

Officials privy to the investigation said Sajid Ahmed came in touch with the other two accused, Sameer and Shakir Ansari, through a social networking site. They later communicated via secured communication systems like chat rooms. They had a Whatsapp group that included the nine other suspects detained for questioning by the police, said the police.

It was Sajid Ahmed who introduced Talha to Ansari and was about to get passport for him to travel to Pakistan, officials claimed, adding that their source of funding is yet to be ascertained.

Apart from data shared through Internet and an 8 GB pen drive recovered from the possession of the accused, the investigators are also scrutinising books that the three arrested men possessed. The Delhi Police’s special cell arrested three terrorists having alleged links with terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed early on Wednesday morning. The alleged module leader, Sajid Ahmed, was picked up from northeast Delhi’s Chand Bagh near Gokulpuri, other two accused Shakir Ansari and Samir, were held from Deoband and Ghaziabad’s Loni, respectively. The police also detained nine more suspects for questioning.

The three youths were produced before a court which remanded them in 10-day police custody.