Terrorist attack backed by Pakistan's ISI likely in Delhi, Gujarat ahead of Republic Day: Sources

In a major conspiracy, Pakistan intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is hatching a plot to launch a terrorist attack in either Delhi or Gujarat ahead of Republic Day (January 26), according to sources in the Delhi Police.

According to a tip-off, six terrorists absconded from Tamil Nadu, went to Nepal and from there they entered India. They were accused in the murder of K P Suresh, leader of Hindu Munnani for Thiruvallur East district. They are suspected ISIS terrorists.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police on December 9 (Thursday) had arrested three of them. They were arrested after a brief encounter and arms and ammunition were also recovered from them. A few days later, a fourth suspected ISIS terrorist was arrested by the Gujarat Police. However, two others are still missing and they are expected to launch these attacks. They have a foreign-based handler who is helping them.

Basti IG range Ashutosh Kumar had confirmed the report saying that they had received information about two terrorists entering the country and that they were currently in Uttar Pradesh. Intelligence agencies sources had told Zee News that the two terrorists, identified as Khwaja Moinuddin and Abdul Samad were last seen in West Bengal's Siliguri. In September 2017, Khwaja Moinuddin was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from Chennai. The sources added that Moinuddin is associated with ISIS and has been active in south Indian states.

The fourth terrorist arrested was brought in the national capital by the Delhi Police and is currently in transit remand. During interrogation, the accused confessed that the handler, helping them, had asked them to launch a major attack before January 26, including a lone wolf attack. It is to be noted that the terrorist speaks in Tamil language and the police had to bring in a translator.

According to sources, Pakistan's ISI wants some radicalized Indian men to commit a terrorist act in the country so that the entire blame will be on the ISIS. After the statement of the four terrorists and information of the technical surveillance of the special cell, ACP Lalit Mohan Negi of the Special Cell came to know that the handler was an ISI official, who disguised as an ISIS member to spread terror in India.

After this information, the security agencies across the country are searching the two terrorists who are still absconding. The Patiala House Court on Monday (December 13) extended the remand of all four terror suspects of the ISIS module, by eight days. 

On January 10, the three suspected ISIS terrorists had confessed that they were instructed to launch attacks on police and Army recruitment camps. During the investigation, the suspected terrorists said that they were also ordered to target Hindu as well as RSS leaders across the country including the Delhi-NCR region. Further, they were also asked to target Hindu leaders based on posters displayed across several places in the national capital. The terrorists spoke in code words and the Special Cell decoded them. The team is still questioning the suspects.