Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: The Delhi Police have averted a possible terror strike in the national capital with the arrest of a suspected Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist from Uttar Pradesh.
Police sources said the alleged operative, Liyakat Shah, was on way to Delhi in a train when he was arrested from Gorakhpur two days back.
During interrogation, the man is reported to have confessed that a terror strike in Delhi was being planned around Holi. Going by the man's confessional statement, the Special Cell of Delhi Police raided a guest house near Jama Masjid in Old Delhi last night and recovered an AK-47 assault rifle, hand grenades, 60 rounds of ammunition, and some maps of the Jama Masjid area.
"The suspected terrorist has been identified as Liyakat Shah, 47, a resident of Kashmir's Sopore. As per initial information, Shah came from Pakistan via Kathmandu and he was arrested from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh two days ago," said a senior police official.
While the room from where the arms and ammunition were recovered was sealed, two employees of the guest house were also detained for questioning. They were, however, let off today after interrogation, police sources said.
Liyakat was meanwhile produced in a court yesterday which sent him to police custody for 15 days.
Sources said he and two to three of his associates had recced parts of Delhi and planned to carry out strikes on Holi, which falls on March 27 (Wednesday).
First Published: Friday, March 22, 2013, 08:48