Bihar terror module's bid to target PM event busted

PATNA: The Patna police on Thursday said that it busted a terror module and arrested two persons for indulging in antiIndia activities and for planning to disturb the event in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had participated on July 12. The arrested persons have been identified as Mohammad Jalaluddin and Mohammad Athar Parvez.

According to the police, Jalaluddin is a retired Jharkhand police officer and Athar has been an active member of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and is currently associated with the Popular Front of India (PFI). Modi was on a visit to Bihar to attend a function organised on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of the Bihar Assembly.

When asked whether the suspects were plotting to carry out attacks on any particular targets the police said, “The matter is under investigation. A special team has also been constituted to find out more about their activities”. Reports said the accused were being trained in Phulwari Sharif 15 days ahead of Modi’s visit and held meetings on July 6 and 7. The Bihar police found incriminating documents, one of them titled — ‘2047 India towards Rule of Islamic India’ in raids at the Phulwari Sharif office of the suspected terrorists. Reports said the police also recovered 25 PFI pamphlets.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspected terrorists were managing a training camp in the Phulwari Sharif area and were actively involved in radicalising youths for the past few months. According to the police, for the past two months, the accused got in touch with many people who came and stayed in Patna under fake names.

Reports suggest that both the suspects held a meeting on July 6 and 7 and also trained locals on how to use swords and knives in the name of martial arts training. “The police got information about a group operating in Phulwari Sharif locality and raided a building in the area on July 11 and arrested both the suspects.”