IS suspect's arrest averted terror attack

Mumbai: Maharashtra’s Anti –Terrorism Squad’s (ATS) probe linked to the arrest of suspected Islamic State (IS) recruiter Nazim Shamsad Ahmed, has revealed that Ahmed and his associates were planning to target certain sites in the city, including star hotels.

Maharashtra ATS’s investigation revealed that in the past couple of months some suspicious persons visited Mumbai. The agency is trying to verify if they were Pakistani nationals.

Based on the interrogation details of Nazim and his roommates, ATS officials are focusing on beefing up security of star hotels in city as they could be the possible targets. Security has also been increased on the occasion of Maharashtra Day on May 1 and various law enforcement agencies are tapping their informers, said ATS sources.

Nazim, a native of Bijnor in UP, had been staying in Mumbra and worked as a mechanic. He was a self-proclaimed ‘amir,’ a leader as per the IS hierarchy, officials said.

They added that he was allegedly motivating the group. He was picked up from Mumbra, in a joint operation of ATS teams from UP and Maharashtra on April 20. While two of his roommates were also detained, UP ATS also arrested some of his associates in UP and Punjab.

“We are verifying their activities and also trying to find if they have conducted reconnaissance of any specific places in Mumbai. Who were the ‘suspicious persons’ and what did they do during their stay in Mumbai is being investigated,” said an officer requesting anonymity.

Maharashtra Day will see a heavy police presence in the city and mock drills being carried out by combat forces. The Shivaji Park ground in Dadar, which hosts the Maharashtra Day parade, has also been declared a ‘no-fly zone’ citing possibility of an air borne attack.